


The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire

by TSarr



Series: The Red Moon Collection [4]
Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Action, Action/Adventure, Adventure, Adventure & Romance, Gen, Romance, Science Fiction
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-25
Updated: 2015-06-25
Packaged: 2018-04-06 01:57:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 39
Words: 174,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4203615
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TSarr/pseuds/TSarr
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For the first time in years, William Hume is lost. But if there's anything the Terminus Systems can force you to learn, it's how to pull yourself back together or die trying. /Volume 4 of the Red Moon Collection\</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: While this story contains all original characters the universe is entirely the property of EA and Bioware.

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 1**

_**Undocumented Mining Facility, Kamarov, Pamyat System** _

Will stumbled forward and down the ramp in front of him as a harsh shove was thrown into his back. Thankfully, he managed to catch himself before falling into the prisoner in front of him and the line of others a dozen long. He was last off the ship and into the musty, hot cave inside which Janson's ship had landed a few moments earlier. Will looked up to see the shimmer of an atmospheric barrier. They had landed in what appeared to be a large crater that was partly excavated and lined with the markings of a significant mining operation. His shoulders pulled down on him as the planet's heavy gravity began to strain his joints, but he wasn't about to complain to his captors and give them the satisfaction of knowing his discomfort. The line of poorly dressed and malnourished people trailed along ahead of them as two of the Blue Suns on Janson's crew led the group toward a large, slanted door on the wall of the crater. Will glanced over his shoulder briefly to see Janson walking behind him, gun in hand and a wicked stare in his eyes.

"Might want to take another look at the sky," Janson taunted. "It'll be the last time you see it."

"We'll see about that," Will muttered as he turned his eyes forward.

The Blue Suns commander laughed at the perceived absurdity. "Keep thinking that." He took in a satisfied breath. "You and the RMC have been a fucking annoyance the past few months. Thankfully, I found just the place for you."

Will could hear at least one of the enslaved abductees in front of him sobbing as the doors opened and the Blue Suns guided the pack inside. Just through the doors stood a half-dozen armed guards, all watching the incoming shipment of labor with stoic eyes. Will did his best to calm himself as he stepped over the threshold into the enormous airlock and continued to scan his surroundings with constant vigilance. The facility's main entrance was a cavern forcibly carved out below the surface of the crater with a few large prefab buildings scattered around at the center. At least five wide tunnel entrances could be seen on the walls of the cavern, all leading down to where Will assumed the real work took place. As he pulled his eyes away from the prefab units and distant, hanging spotlights, he took another look around the cavern and noticed something rather unsettling: he could see no other slaves. The Blue Suns had led them to another five of the facility's guards, but other than them, there was no one to be seen.

"Order was for fifteen," a gruff batarian voice called out from the five guards.

Janson stepped past Will to meet the batarian as he swiftly made his way toward the back of the line. The Blue Suns commander nodded once.

"I'm aware."

"We only agreed to  _pay_  for fifteen," the batarian reiterated. "You'd better not be expecting-"

Janson raised a hand to silence the objection. "No extra payment, just think of it as a bonus for the both of us. I need this prick to get what's coming to him."

Will gave an exaggerated snort and roll of his. "The  _irony_  of that statement coming from you..."

The Blue Suns commander turned and lunged toward Will, slamming his fist into his stomach. With his hands secured behind his back, Will dropped to his knees and gasped for air. It had been a while since he had taken a hard hit like that without his armor. Janson looked back to the batarian and motioned over his shoulder toward Will.

"There's nothing wrong with him. Just pissed me off quite a bit," he explained.

The batarian eyed Will for a short moment before nodding. "Very well." He looked down the line. "The others look to be in decent shape. We'll get them into processing to confirm there are no complications."

"And the payment?" Janson asked impatiently.

"It'll come after the processing, like always," the batarian muttered. "Get 'em inside!" He shouted to the other guards.

* * *

"Any skills?"

Will shook his head. "What?"

The armed batarian bared his teeth. "Are you deaf? I asked if you have any skills!"

"Pretty sure deafness would have shown up on that medical scan," Will countered bitterly.

"Answer the fucking question," the guard snapped as he placed his hand by the pistol on his belt.

Will gritted his teeth and rolled his shoulders in discomfort. His hands had been locked together behind his back for at least eight hours now and his joints were begging to be set free.

"What kind of skills? What the hell kind of question  _is_  that?" Will grumbled. "I thought I was  _slave labor._ "

"Can you operate machinery?" The batarian barked irritably.

"Yeah, of course," Will answered indignantly. "Who the hell can't?"

The batarian growled and walked around the chair where Will sat. Behind him, Will could hear the batarian retrieve something from a row of lockers on the wall, only to jump as something cold wrapped around his neck. He quickly realized it was some sort of collar as it clasped together and adjusted to be skin-tight. A few seconds later, much to his relief, he felt the band holding his wrists together become loose as the batarian pull it off.

"Thank god," Will said with an exasperated sigh. He reached up and touched the collar. "Not sure I like this any better, though."

"Get used to it," the batarian said tauntingly. "It's not coming off."

The batarian returned to the front of the chair and ordered him up. Will stood and rolled his shoulders once again, thankful for the movement he was now allowed.

"You'll follow your commands or be punished," the batarian instructed.

He raised his omnitool and tapped a few buttons. Will shouted in pain as an intense shock emitted from the collar and into his neck, causing him to fall to the ground and writhe in pain.

"That was the lowest setting. Just a taste. Now get out." A door opened on the far side of the room. "Your group is waiting to be distributed."

Will panted as he righted himself and pushed his body to his hands and knees. With a groan of pain he was able to stand and stumble toward the door. He passed into a short hallway and out another door that opened from the prefab into the cavern where the others he had arrived with stood in five groups of three. Two guards immediately seized him as he stepped through the door and guided him toward the far-right. Will managed to focus his eyes long enough to see the batarian foreman and Janson shaking hands before the Blue Suns began their walk back to the exit. Janson glanced over his shoulder as he made his way toward his ship and caught Will's eye, giving him a teasing wave as he laughed and turned ahead.

The groups were quickly assigned a pair of armed guards for each and ordered to march toward their designated tunnel in the cavern walls. Will looked over his shoulder to the prisoner behind him and frowned softly. The woman was muttering something under her breath and nodding her head slowly and reassuringly. Will wasn't sure if she was repeating the same thing, or muttering incoherently.

"Keep your eyes forward," the rear guard ordered.

Will complied and clenched his fists to subdue his anger. He closed his eyes and took in a deep, calming breath as he remembered the past few days. He hoped beyond hope that what he had done had been worth it. That Shansa and Eleena had gotten away. That Cerberus had given up its chase. He shuddered involuntarily and opened his eyes once again. As far as he was concerned, this was the best outcome he could have hoped for after being picked up by Janson and the Blue Suns. Will had expected to be expected and dumped out the airlock, but instead he was given a chance. Janson had made a big fucking mistake.

The tunnel they walked down was dim, with at least half of the lights either off or dead. The smell of new gasses filled the air and a distant, unsettling rumble grew more intense the further they traveled. After a two or three minute walk, the descending tunnel leveled out and opened into another cavern. It was smaller than the main entrance, but still had a few large prefab structures lining one wall as well as two more tunnels that branched off on opposite walls. The biggest difference between this cavern and the entrance, however, was the fact that dozens of haggard workers appeared to be shuffling about. Some were walking in a line toward one of the prefabs while the others stood along what looked like a large conveyor belt, sorting through chunks of stone that were being continuously poured from a hopper at one end.

"Grab gloves from the bin and get on the line," one of the batarian guards ordered to the group of new arrivals. "Pull out the blue rocks."

Will reluctantly shuffled toward the conveyor belt as his eyes continued to scan his surroundings for even the smallest window of opportunity. He counted at five armed guards in the room and at least twenty other workers, some of whom wore some kind of armored hardsuit. Will made a note of this as he approached a bin of thick, black gloves and grabbed a pair to slide onto his hands. He stared at the ground as he walked toward the conveyor belt, his mind trying desperately to concentrate. He had very suddenly become dead tired. As he made is way to the long, slow conveyor belt he could see that lined beside it were troughs filled with heaps of blue, jagged stone. At least twenty people were lined up along the sides, scanning, grabbing and setting aside the wanted material while the rest was left to pour off the end and into an enormous refuse bin on a hover-cart. Will stepped up beside a particularly haggard looking man and gave him a sideways glance. The turned his eyes weakly toward Will, then looked back down to his work. Will sighed and looked own the belt and grabbed a small chunk of the blue material before tossing it into the trough beside him.

"So what is this crap?" Will asked.

The older man responded slowly. "We can't talk while working."

"Who do you think is gonna stop us?" Will said with a small laugh. "You think those five guards give a shit about us talking to each other?"

The man did not respond. Will shook his head and turned his attention fully to the task at hand.

"Whatever. This day better go by fast."

* * *

After fourteen hours of labor, Will and the other workers were rounded up and delivered to one of the prefab buildings in the small cavern. Inside he found rows of tables and chairs at the center of the room and a series of dispensers on one wall. He watched some of the others as they scurried to the dispensers and retrieved a rather small nutrient bar and cheap water mug before heading to the nearest table. Will quickly did the same as his stomach ached desperately for food. He found himself a seat at one of the tables on the furthest side of the room and began devouring the nutrient bar ravenously. The water in his mug had a disgusting brown tint, but he gladly gulped down every drop, having been worked to the point of near dehydration. Will looked up as an unexpected movement caught his eye: another man had come to stand on the opposite side of the table, staring down at him. He had long and ragged black hair and brown eyes that were nearly as dark looking Will up and down critically.

"You need something?" Will asked with a voice beyond the point of exhaustion.

The man continued to look him over closely as he sat down. "I imagine you've seen better days, my friend," he spoke in a voice wrapped with a thick Latino accent.

Will smirked at the man who was clearly covered in more than a few scrapes and bruises. "I'd guess the same for you."

He nodded softly and downed a large sip of his water. "So you can use your eyes," he mused cynically. "Shame they didn't keep you out of here."

Will narrowed his eyes curiously. "Who are you?"

"José Moore," the man answered, extending a hand. "And you?"

"Name's Will. William Hume." He accepted the hand and shook once.

"Hmm." The man continued to eye Will closely. "You're a new arrival, no?"

"That's right," Will said with an annoyed sigh. "And boy am I glad to be here," he grumbled sarcastically.

José raised a brow curiously. "You don't know much about this place, do you?" He shook his head. "I suspect you wouldn't be making jokes if you were aware of how fortunate we really are."

Will turned his eyes back to the man and snorted. "Fortunate?"

"Yes," José replied definitively. "How long do you think I've been here, Mister Hume?"

Will nearly corrected him with the title "Captain," but caught himself just before speaking.

"You can call me Will." He looked the man up and down. "Given your condition and the average life expectancy of slave mining labor in the Terminus Systems? I'd say two months."

José chuckled softly. "And that is why we are lucky." He took a bite from his nutrient bar and swallowed with a satisfied sigh. "I arrived almost eight months ago."

Will raised his brows in surprise. "Eight months?"

"That's right," he assured him. "This installation extracts a mineral called Morrosium. It requires a specific set of circumstances to be extracted properly, and a set of tools to go with it." José took another bite and washed the gray foodstuff down with water. "It's dangerous, though. Lots of gasses that can kill you before you even know what's wrong, if you're not careful. So, they work us to the edge of breaking, but not over. It would be far too time consuming to burn through their labor and train newcomers every couple of days."

"I'm no slaver, but that seems pretty stupid," Will muttered quietly.

"The tools require you to know what you're doing, but are not hard to comprehend," José countered. "And to hire professionals would cost far more in terms of hazard pay."

Will shrugged. "I guess. I still don't think that means we're  _lucky._  Just means we'll be worked longer before they decide we're not worth keeping alive."

José took a quick swig of water. "Or die in an explosion."

Will paused for a moment, unsure as to whether or not José was speaking jokingly or not. As his expression remain stoic and grim, Will cleared his throat and chalked it up to harsh reality.

"So you're telling me that whoever runs this place is sticking complex tools in the hands of slaves and expecting work to be done?" Will asked.

José nodded. "That's right. And if you don't cooperate..."

He raised his chin and pointed to the collar on his neck. Will reached up and touched the metal of his own with an angry grumble.

"So we work the mining lasers, explore the caves, operate the extraction beams, and if you're new," José looked down and exhaled angrily through his nostrils, "or near the end of your usefulness, the conveyor belt."

"Yeah, I'm acquainted with it."

Will slowly looked around the room to the dozens of tired workers as José consumed the last few bites of his nutrient bar.

"So what kind of lasers and beams are we talking about?" Will asked as he turned his attention back to the man. "How much... damage do you think they could do?"

José clearly the read the intention in Will's words. He looked around the room before motioning for Will to rise. Will looked to him curiously, but obliged as José rose to his feet and nodded toward a door on the far end of the room.

"Come, I should show you the bunk quarters," José said distractedly.

Slightly confused, Will obliged. José led the two of them to the far door and into another room roughly the same size as their mess hall. The room was filled with dirty, unkempt bunks packed together in tight rows for the sake of efficiency. José quickly made his way to the back corner and pointed toward a few beds along one of the walls while glancing over his shoulder to speak to Will.

"These beds are empty," José informed him. "They were... recently vacated."

With a bitter frown, Will nodded and walked to the closest of the beds. José turned and scanned the room, taking note of who might be in earshot before turning back to Will.

"I believe I picked correctly when I sat with you," he said in a hushed tone. "Why do you want to know these things about our equipment? About the... 'damage they can do?'"

Will lowered his voice in return. "I'm not staying around here until I die," he said matter-of-factly.

"You are a soldier?" He asked hopefully.

"Not exactly," Will answered with a small smile. "Just a merc. But I can hold my own."

José shook his head. "I am not one to judge, my friend. I was an Alliance soldier for some time, but after too many years of inaction I left for a PMC. However..." He looked to the side. "Well, let's just say I probably should have stayed with the Alliance."

Will nodded slowly. "So those tools?"

"Yes, of course." His new acquaintance said, shaking his head in irritation of his digression. "The lasers are exactly what they sound like and can be tuned to very high power. We use them to bore further into the tunnels. The extraction beams would not be of much help. They are nothing more than small mass effect field generators that lift and separate the minerals we are mining."

"A modified mass effect field generator is more useful than you might think," Will said quietly. "Put it in the right place and you can throw a guard or two into the ceiling."

José nodded slowly in consideration. "Yes, very good." He glanced over his shoulder briefly. "Wait here for a moment," he asked.

Will crossed his arms and watched as José hurried off to the other side of the room where a door had opened to allow a small group of workers inside. The man approached one person in the group, an asari, and motioned for her to follow him. She agreed without hesitation and the two quickly made their way back to where Will stood waiting.

"There is a small group of us who have begun making plans the past few months. Plans to do the things you have suggested," José began as the pair returned. "This is Orassa Dalsori. She was one of the first to show interest in this action. Orassa, this is William Hume."

The deep-blue skinned asari stepped forward and extended a hand in greeting with her head bowed. She looked more aged than most asari Will had met, but he wasn't sure if it was just because of the working conditions. Will reached forward and gave a friendly shake as she opened her eyes and turned her gaze up to him.

"Hello, William Hume," she said in a soft and reserved voice. "I am glad to meet you, though I wish it could be under better circumstances."

Will chuckled. "You and me both."

José cleared his throat to interject. "She and I have been discussing our attempt at escape for some time now."

"Yes, we have many ideas," Orassa continued. "But we will need others to help us. We have just recently begun to reach out."

"You don't even have to ask," Will assured them. "If there's anything I can do to help with the planning, I'm more than willing."

"Then we will share our thoughts soon," José said with a nod. "But now, we are taking up precious minutes of our rest hours."

Will nodded slowly. "I'd rather discuss everything after I've gotten a chance to see the rest for myself. So far this place seems ripe for a breakout," he pointed out. "They're practically begging for some disobedience."

"I agree." José said as he stretched his arms and neck. "But yes, we should discuss this later. You will need your rest for tomorrow as I am sure you will be sent to the mines."

With a heavy sigh, Will dropped down onto the cot he had chosen. "Can't wait."

Orassa looked down with a small smile. "Be cautious and patient, and you will make it through the day," she advised him.

"Survive," Will summarized. "I can do that."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 2**

_**Undocumented Mining Facility, Kamarov, Pamyat System** _

"Watch your head!"

Will held his breath after yelling his warning. He reached out helplessly as the salarian he had attempted to warn could do nothing but look up to the ceiling of the tunnel with wide eyes as rocks came pouring down onto him. Will threw his scanner aside and ran toward the collapse with another worker just behind him. The two of them dropped to their knees as the reached the settling rubble and began hurling rocks away as quickly as they possibly could. Will was wearing no gloves today due to his job assignment of filling the collection bin, and a few shards of uneven stone were quick to cut through his skin as he dug frantically into the pile. The fellow slave beside him removed the rock that finally revealed the salarian. His blue skin was already discolored and bruised from the blunt trauma sustained by several large chunks of stone striking him as they fell. The salarian's eyes were wide open, motionless and dead.

"Son of a bitch," Will muttered under his breath. "Do you have comm privileges?" He asked while turning to the man beside him.

It had only been two weeks since Will's arrival, and he still did not know the name of everyone in his sector. The man shook his head and motioned over his shoulder.

"I... I think someone back up at the junction does," he answered.

"Run tell them what happened," Will ordered, hoping he didn't mind the demand.

He apparently did not, as the man turned and ran back up the tunnel, looking back over his shoulder briefly to the dead salarian once more. Will let out a deep sigh and dropped from a kneeling to sitting position. This was only his fifth shift in the mines and his first in the deep tunnels, but he was already starting to wonder how José had managed to survive as long as he did. This was the first day since he had arrived that he, José and Orassa would finish their shifts at the same time, and he was counting the minutes. They  _would_  get out.

"Just be patient," he whispered to himself as he tore his eyes away from the salarian's body.

* * *

Will struggled to keep his eyes open as he shuffled into the worker's quarters. He made his away to the ration dispenser and retrieved his nightly meal before turning to the rows of tables and feeling a slight sense of relief as he spotted José and Orassa waiting patiently in the far corner of the room. Will nodded to each of them as he came to sit at the end of the table. He took a long gulp of his water and sighed tiredly.

"You lost someone in your group today, yes?" José asked almost immediately.

"Yeah," Will answered as he swallowed the water. "Noldin, I think. The salarian."

Orassa frowned deeply. "Noldin was a pleasant man. He deserved better."

"We all do," José bitterly corrected her.

The trio fell silent and looked down to their food. Will picked up his nutrient bar and took a small bite, barely keeping down the bitter substance. After a few minutes had passed José cleared his throat to draw their attention back.

"You've had two weeks now, Will. What do you think so far about our chances?" José raised a brow.

Will nodded. "It doesn't look like sneaking out is going to be an option," he began. "As far as I'm concerned, a full-fledged breakout is the only thing that's going to give us a chance at getting out alive."

"I agree," José concurred. "But that won't easy. I'm fairly certain these collars are locators as well, so I'm not especially keen on any risky recon before we know for certain. "

"I think our most significant advantage is right here next to us," Will said as he looked over to Orassa. "I've seen a few other asari in our zone. You're all naturally biotic, right?"

The asari smiled softly and nodded. "Yes, that's correct. But we are fitted with special collars that can detect close-range mass effect field fluctuations, such as those exerted when performing biotic tasks. Upon detection..." She rubbed her neck softly. "The shock is not gentle."

Will shook his head. "Don't half of the tools down here use mass effect fields?"

"Yes," she answered with a regretful frown. "Which can lead to many false positives."

"Then what we need is some way to get to the control mechanism for the collars," Will suggested.

José took a small sip of his water. "That is one course of action. But it would be incredibly dangerous."

"You have any others in mind?" Will asked.

Orassa nodded. "Yes, the other option we have discussed is that of sending some kind of message. If we could find a way to signal our presence, perhaps a passing ship could find and relay it to the proper authorities."

"Which would be the safer alternative," José continued. "Unfortunately, it relies on quite a few variables outside our control. We may not be in a system with regular or even sporadic ship travel."

Will smirked as he swallowed another bite. "And if we did get in touch with someone, there's a fine chance that they'd be just another group of slavers."

"So we have no other options?" Orassa asked. "A full-on assault or hoping that our message in a bottle reaches those who can help us?"

Will and Orassa turned to José. He looked down to the table between them as he considered the question and shook his head slowly.

"It is... hard to say at this point," he finally replied. "I think first we should see how many others we might be able to pull into our plans."

"Strength in numbers, right?" Will said with a grin.

José nodded. "That is my hope."

"In that case, I'll keep an eye out for any potential help while I'm working," Will said. "I'm practically a professional at spotting troublemakers."

Orassa chuckled softly. "Almost a professional?"

Will smirked. "I have trouble calling my work the past two years or so 'professional.'"

"You were a mercenary," José recalled. "What line of work were you involved with?"

"I know this is going to sound like I'm trying to cover my ass, but I was actually part of a group called the Red Moon Collective. We focused on helping people who were down on their luck." Will laughed lightly. "Well, that's what we liked to tell ourselves. In reality, we just fucked up gangs for their supplies or because they had pissed off someone rich enough to pay us to do it. It's easier to justify stealing and killing when you're motivated out of some sense of righteousness." He looked up to the others. "Not that the people we targeted didn't deserve it, of course. Our hosts here are a prime example."

Orassa and José shared an amused look. Will had to admit, the concept did sound either far too idealistic to believe or fabricated to earn their trust. He hoped it hadn't come off as either.

"I'm surprised you lasted even a few months with an occupation like that," Orassa admitted as she looked back to Will. "I would have feared every gang in the Terminus Systems had I been in that position."

"They certainly weren't fans of our work," Will admitted. "That's pretty much the reason I'm here. I got spaced, nearly died, then got picked up by a passing ship. A Blue Suns ship."

José raised a brow. "Spaced?"

Will nodded in affirmation. "I was the captain of a ship. I used it to ram a frigate that was chasing us." He took a small breath. "I'd gotten careless, felt like we were unstoppable, and led my crew into a situation that nearly got all of us killed." Will averted his eyes momentarily. "One of them  _did_  get killed. At least, one that I know of. The only thing that I'm still holding onto is the hope that they all made it to safety and the people chasing them are gone."

Orassa smiled softly. "Well, hopefully they are safe and looking for you."

"They are. I  _know_  they are," Will replied. "But I don't know what good it'll do. That Blue Suns ship flew in and picked me up long before they could have made it to Omega and back." He looked to each of them with grim determination. "Which is why I'm breaking myself out of here. No amount of searching can make up for a dead-end."

José nodded solemnly. "It is good to see you are motivated."

"You could say that," Will smirked. "How about you, José? You said you were Alliance, right?"

"Was Alliance, yes. I was discharged a few years ago because I was sick of our colonies being left in the cold by our military," José explained. "I joined a PMC that was contracted to a few of those on the border of the Traverse. We fended off nearly a dozen raids over the course of two years, but all it takes is one bad situation to make it all go to hell."

"What happened?" Will asked, eager for him to continue.

"Outnumbered, plain and simple. Almost everyone in my squad was killed while the colonists and I were taken as prisoners." José held up his hands. "And here I am."

Orassa placed a comforting hand on José's arm. "It took three weeks for him to come out of the shell of seclusion he had retreated to. I was the first person he spoke to after his capture. Even so, the words were merely those of apology for accidentally bumping into me in the mess hall." She smiled warmly. "After that he was quick to open up."

"So you've been here a long time?" Will asked the asari. "Longer than José?"

"Certainly," she answered. "Nearly twice as long, I believe."

Will shook his head. "Damn. How'd you get here?"

Orassa's lips fell slightly into a small frown. "Simply unfortunate circumstances. You see, I was the celestial cartographer on an independent exploratory expedition. Our most important work was cataloging dormant mass relays, which of course took us to many uninhabited and potentially dangerous systems. We stopped at a frontier fuel depot and were ambushed by batarian slavers."

"Bastards," Will muttered angrily. "Did you fight back?"

"Of course," Orassa said with a small laugh. "But we were not soldiers. It was a small vessel with a security team of three. The worst part is, I was less than a year from stepping down from the position," Orassa added with a sigh. "Had I done so earlier..."

"Why step down?" Will asked curiously.

The asari shook her head. "I was tired of being bothered by my family. 'You should not have to do this work at your age,' they would say. But no one was _forcing_  the work upon me. I enjoyed it!"

Will held up a finger, asking her to pause momentarily. "How old are you?"

"Eight hundred and seventeen," Orassa answered.

"Wouldn't that make you a matriarch?" Will asked, slightly confused.

She waved a hand dismissively. "Perhaps according to a calendar alone. But the stages of life are far more complex than just an asari's age."

Will nodded understandingly. "I'm surprised they had the balls to enslave an almost-matriarch."

"It's hard to be afraid of the consequences when no one will even know of your crimes," Orassa reminded him. "For all I know, my daughters believe my ship is lost in deep space or destroyed in a solar storm."

José, who had been simply listening to the conversation, cleared his throat and leaned forward. "I don't mean to rush, but we have limited time and should discuss our course of action."

"No, you're right," Will agreed as he tapped the table with his finger. "I think we need to do two things: continue looking for others who are willing to help, and carefully search for any and all weakness that we can exploit."

"This would be a wise choice," Orassa agreed. "We should not attempt anything without very careful and precise consideration and planning."

The trio nodded in agreement.

"Then we will meet again when our shifts align," José declared. "Now let's get some rest."

Will let out a deep breath of relief. There was nothing he wanted more.

* * *

"Any luck?" Eleena asked quietly.

Shansa stared intently at the admittedly low-fidelity scanners that were installed on the transport shuttle. She swallowed hard and shook her head.

"Nothing," the pilot answered, her voice raspy from lack of sleep.

Eleena lowered her head. "Run the path again."

Shansa hesitated a moment before replying. "Eleena... it's been days. The debris has drifted so much and we've found no signs of life."

It was the first time since their return to the accident site that either had objected to the search, but each of them could tell that the other had been thinking the same thing.

"Then we can at least recover his body," Eleena argued under her breath.

"A collision at space-faring speeds doesn't leave much intact." Shansa let out a weak sigh. "There might not be anything left to-"

"Just run the path again," Eleena ordered slowly.

Shansa turned the shuttle back around and approached the mass relay to begin their searching pattern once again. Suddenly, the a flash of light streaked by the body of the relay as a ship dropped out of FTL. Eleena and Shansa quickly turned their attention to the vessel.

"No immediate IFF signal," Eleena informed Shansa.

"It's coming around," Shansa stated. "Course currently... on intercept."

The ship was blasting toward them at high speeds using its sub-light thrusters. Shansa brought her hands to the controls, only to find them locked.

" _It's getting a lock on us!"_  Eleena shouted frantically.

Missiles streaked forward from the attacking ship, Cerberus logo emblazoned on the flanks. Will watched in utter terror as the attack struck Eleena and Shansa's shuttle dead on, vaporizing it an explosion of gasses and twisted metal.

Will gasped desperately for air as he shot up to a sitting position on his cot, his heart pounding body shaking in fear. He looked around the dim room to see others stirring from the noise and brought a hand up to wipe the sweat from his brow.

"Oh, god."

Will muttered as he turned and placed his feet on the floor. He placed his face in his palms and took deep, calming breaths in an attempt to force reason upon himself.

"They're fine. They're fine," he repeated to himself, still shaking the image of his nightmare.

He sat on the edge of his bed for a few minutes before finally opening his eyes and looking to see the rest of the room had returned to their precious sleep. Will looked to those close by and briefly wondered what had brought them here. He would ask them tomorrow, he decided. Will took one last deep breath before pulling his legs up and settling back onto the cot with his eyes staring to the ceiling. Eventually, they sank shut as exhaustion claimed his consciousness once again.

* * *

Over the next month, Will was assigned to use the full gamut of the facility's tools. He found them relatively easy to handle, as he expected they would be, and was assigned to a drilling team for his next round of shifts. This gave him the opportunity to truly test the potential usefulness of their equipment during any kind of escape attempt. Unfortunately, he soon came to the conclusion that no matter what their plan, their biggest and seemingly insurmountable hurdle would be the one piece of equipment that they would always have with them: their collars. Each day he grew the slightest bit more anxious and impatient, and he was worried what he might do if they did not find a weakness to exploit.

"How far?" Will shouted over the sound of his drill.

He squinted involuntarily as dust billowed from the contact point while his drill slowly burrowed into the wall. Will felt a slight sense of bitter remembrance as he held the tool, as it was operated almost the same way Kallux's cannon was: held with two hands to the side of one's body. He shook his head and pushed the thought from his mind before looking over his shoulder.

"I said how far?" He repeated through the muffled mic on his mask.

The scanner for his team, a turian named Lannus, was staring at the tool in his hands intently. "It says the pocket starts about two feet in."

Will glanced down to the panel on his drill to see that he still had three inches to go according to the depth reading. He held his finger on the trigger and continued to apply pressure to the guidance handle, pushing further into the wall. After a minute of constant drilling, an alert buzzed from the drill's interface to indicate he had reached his desired depth.

"Lannus, sample coming out," he reported.

The turian set the scanner down and knelt beside the drill. Will flipped a switch on the top of the machine, causing the drill to hum softly before sliding open a hatch on its side. Inside, a clear, cylindrical tube filled with samples from the rock wall was held between two prongs. Lannus plucked the glass-enclosed, compacted dust from the dispenser and nodded to Will.

"Got it, looks clean."

Will set the drill down with a grunt and reached over to grab the tube from the turian's hand. He stepped back to get in the direct beam of their work-light and pulled his mask from his face to get a clearer look.

"There we go," he said to himself. "Two feet, perfect."

He shifted his eyes to the middle of the sample and raised a brow at a yellowish powder he had not seen in any previous drilling. Halfway through the sampling process the sensor on his drill had malfunctioned causing the depth-reader to return a value of null. With just the slightest hint of suspicion, he looked over his shoulder to the turian and nodded toward the device in his hand.

"Hand me the scanner," Will asked to Lannus.

With the scanner in hand, Will switched to the micro settings and held the device close the tube. As he ran from the end of the tube toward the yellow material, the screen flickered and died. Will stood almost motionless and tapped the tool once or twice as his eyes shifted between the dead screen and the yellow portion of the mineral sample. His eyes widened ever so slightly as Lannus reached out his hand as an offer to take the tool back.

"I think the charge died," the turian muttered. "I've got the backup here."

Will returned the first scanner and waited until the backup tool was placed in his hand. He activated the tool and set it to the same settings before executing an identical scan, only to have the tool die once again upon reaching close proximity with the yellow dust. He felt his heart jump in excitement as his initial suspicion appeared to be confirmed.

"These things are crap," Lannus muttered irritably.

"Yeah, yeah. They are," Will agreed.

Lannus clearly had not noticed the correlation, and until Will considered him trustworthy, he would not be pointing it out. Will cleared his throat and nodded as he subtly slid the sample tube into his pocket.

"Get the extractor ready, I think this spot is good to go," he declared.

Six hours later, Will and the rest of his team emerged from the mining shaft and into their hub. He hurried to the tool depot and checked in the drill before making his way to the mess hall, hoping either José or Orassa would be there. They were not. He collected and consumed his daily rations before retiring to the bunkroom, where he caught sight of José sitting on his cot and strapping on his boots. Will meandered through the maze of beds to reach him, finally coming to a stop in front of his friend's cot with his arms crossed. José glanced upward and eyed Will curiously.

"Will," he acknowledged.

"Shift starting?" Will inquired.

José nodded as he stood up. "Yes."

Will quickly glanced around the room. It appeared as though he had made it in before the majority of his shift had finished their meal. José also seemed to be the first to rise from his group, most likely pure instinct from his military days.

"José, I think I might have found something that can help us."

The man did his best to conceal his curiosity. "That being?"

Will reached into his pocket and pulled the sample tube out to hold it between them. "The yellow mineral. It was doing something to our equipment. I think it might have some kind of electromagnetic properties."

José narrowed his eyes. "Please, elaborate."

"It was messing with the depth sensor on my drill, and it seems like it completely fried our two scanners," Will explained. "I think this might be the break we need."

"I've seen this substance before," José said as he examined the tube. "But never this much in one extraction. What are you suggesting we do with it?"

Will's eyes darted to the left and right. Upon seeing no one watching them, he held the tube up to the front of his collar where a blinking green light beside two buttons indicated its connection. After a mere second, the blinking light ceased, leaving José to raise his brows in surprise. Will shoved the sample back into his pocket and crossed his arms, attempting to look as nonchalant as possible.

"What the hell are you doing?" José demanded.

"We need to know what happens," Will answered.

José narrowed his eyes. "They will know your collar has shut off!" He was clearly trying his best to hush himself.

A few seconds later, a door on the far side of the room slid open for a pair of armed guards who came hustling into the room.

"Everyone stay right where you are!" The first guard barked.

Sleeping workers began to rouse from their much-needed slumber and look around the room in confusion as the two guards made their way toward the corner where Will and José stood. One of the two guards looked down at his omnitool and nodded to the other, pointing directly ahead. Will breathed as steadily as he could and watched as they approached.

"It's this one," the batarian guard said in a voice far louder than necessary.

The guard grabbed Will by the arm and forced him to face the two of them while nodding to himself. "Yep, light's out."

"What's the problem?" Will asked.

"Shut up," the second guard snapped.

The first shook his head. "Emitter died. Turn," he ordered to Will.

Will rolled his eyes and spun to face his back to them. He gritted his teeth and hoped that he was not about to be treated to a bullet to the head. The guard reached up with his omnitool and disabled the electronic lock on the back of the collar allowing it to fall to the floor. Will breathed in sharply at the unexpected and indescribable feeling of having his throat freed from the constant and unrelenting grip of the slave collar. He closed his eyes for a moment and concealed his smile as he basked in the first pleasure he had experienced since he had arrived at the facility over a month and a half ago.

"We've got some spares in the tool depot," the first guard said to the other. "Go grab it while I keep an eye on this one." He gave Will's back a firm shove. "Face me."

Will wiped the happiness from his face and turned back to the armored batarian with his best tired and defeated frown.

"What did you do to this thing?" The guard asked as he kicked the collar on the floor.

"I didn't do a damn thing," Will answered weakly. "I was just talking to my friend."

The batarian snarled angrily. "Cheap piece of crap."

A few seconds later, the guard who had left made his way back to the three of them with a new collar in hand. Will sighed and turned his back to them when prompted, allowing the collar to be snapped back into place around his neck and tightened. The green light began to blink softly on his throat. The guards took a quick look at their omnitool readings of the emitter strength and, once satisfied, turned to leave the room. José, who had been waiting patiently during the entire exchange, grinned to Will once their captors had left.

"This is better than we could have dreamed of," he pointed out quietly.

Will nodded in agreement. "Looks like it feeds them an alert when the transmission stops. Seems like they get a location too, 'cause they knew exactly where I was."

José crossed his arms and placed a finger on his lips. "Yes, yes. But this is most certainly something we can use."

Will reached into his pocket and grasped the sample tube in his fingers, as if to reassure him that it was still there. "We'll need to collect as much of that mineral as possible."

José's eyes looked around the room. People had begun to rise for their shift. He nodded to Will and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Our shifts will align in three days. We should discuss this in full then."

With a nod of affirmation from Will, José took his leave. The opportunities they were hoping and praying for were beginning to manifest. Will took a deep breath and let a small, hopeful smile spread across his lips as he stumbled off to his cot and the remedy for his exhaustion.


	3. Chapter 3

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 3**

_**Undocumented Mining Facility, Kamarov, Pamyat System** _

Will had been sitting patiently in the mess hall for over half an hour while waiting for Orassa and José to return from their shift. According to the schedule, the pair was on the same team today, and all three of them were due to end their shift at the same time. But something was not right. He looked down to the less-than-clear water in his mug and swirled it from side to side while hoping desperately that nothing had happened to their group down in the mines. They had spent two months carefully and secretly collecting the yellow mineral that they counted on to be the crux of their escape plan, and today was to be the day that they finalized it. Will tapped his toe nervously, downed a large gulp of his water, and closed his eyes, begging in his mind that he had not lost yet another group of friends. Without their help, he wasn't sure he would ever see the surviving crew of the late MSV  _Hyperion_ again.

"Something on your mind?" A female voice asked.

He jumped and looked up in surprise to see Orassa smiling warmly as she came to sit on the other side of the table. José was close behind with his small tray of sustenance. Will let out a sigh of relief and shook his head.

"No! No, I'm fine." Will cleared his throat and straightened himself in his seat. "Just, uh, was a little nervous about what was taking you two so long."

José dropped to his seat and sighed. "The tram malfunctioned on our return trip."

Orassa could see the slight embarrassment on Will's face. "You were worried about us?" She asked as neutrally as possible.

"Don't worry about it," Will quickly argued with a dismissive chuckle. "Was the shift... successful?"

José nodded once. "We found a small pocket. It provided us with enough to fill our quota."

The words were music to Will's ears. He sighed happily and looked between the two of them with a congratulatory smile.

"Then we're ready," he said decisively.

"We are," José agreed. "Ready to begin the final phase of preparation."

Orassa nodded. "Yes, there is still much to do."

Will sat back, feeling slightly defeated. Still, he knew that they were correct. It would take them a few weeks of shift rotation before they would see all of the people they were counting on to make the plan work.

"I looked at the schedules," José added. "I will be up for duty on the deep-drill next."

It would have been either him or Will, as Orassa was always assigned to scanning due to her past career skills. Will did not envy José, however. One of the pillars of their plan involved them having control over the deep-drill, a large machine that hovered and had to be pushed into place for its mining laser to tear rock walls apart during exploratory drilling. Due to the damage it could inflict on its surroundings, the operator wore a shielding suit designed to protect the wearer from flying projectiles produced as a byproduct of the mining process. José was certain the shielding would hold up against a few shots from the guards' rifles.

"We need time to alert everyone," Orassa reminded him.

José waved a hand. "The shift isn't for another twenty-nine days, we will have time. But it must be executed perfectly." He looked to Will. "Everyone will need to have their tubes ready to deactivate their collars in unison. If the security team sees that many collar failures at once, they may suspect a problem and shock the entire group."

"Everyone deactivating the collars in unison won't prevent that," Will pointed out. "It would only keep the twelve people we're counting on safe. That's only twelve people we can guarantee won't be rendered incapacitated."

José nodded solemnly. "Yes, if the others are subjected to a facility-wide crackdown using the collar security systems, we will simply have to hope they can forgive us after the fact."

"Assuming they survive," Orassa noted quietly.

"They wouldn't kill their entire workforce because of one security breech," Will argued before pausing momentarily. "Right?"

The trio shared uncertain looks before shifting their eyes away from one another. They remained silent while distracting themselves with either the water or nutrient bar in front of them long enough for the subject to be at least temporarily forgotten.

"So who is on the final list?" Will asked as his eyes moved to Orassa.

The asari leveled her chin properly as she spoke. "The three of us, of course. Lannus, who was a deckhand on a terminus freighter. Prentin, another turian. Nelsorris, the only other asari in our group. Saelunon, the salarian who has managed to hack the food dispenser on more than one occasion. Jin and Francesca, the two humans who worked as security on a small colony on the border of the Traverse. Edwin, another human from a different colony. And finally, Pelkat and Drezlin, two batarians of a warrior caste who were sold into slavery by a rival officer of theirs." Her eyes glanced upward as she thought to herself before nodding with confidence that she had not forgotten any names.

Will had met and come to know all of them in the three and a half months he had been at the facility. His cot was next to Jin and Francesca's, allowing him to become particularly acquainted and trusting with the two of them. Lannus had also proven to be a trustworthy ally, as he was the first that Will, José and Orassa had approached with their definitive plan for a breakout. To say he was ready and willing would have been an understatement. All the others, however, he had had less time with. While he knew most of them, he had to take José and Orassa's word that they were dependable and trustworthy. Thankfully, he trusted the two of them well enough to respect their judgment.

"We should cement our plan once and for all before we alert the others that we have a date," José suggested.

Orassa nodded firmly. "Agreed."

Will looked to José and raised a brow. "Go for it."

The man cleared his throat to allow him to speak clearly, but quietly. "We will initiate the attack five minutes after the shift begins from our normal dispersion point in the tunnels. The timing must be perfect. Five minutes will give me enough time to prepare the shielding suit while ensuring that the group has not strayed too far into each of their respective mine shafts. It will also provide enough time for the previous shift workers and their guards to take the tram a safe distance away. Once the time arrives, we will deactivate our collars in unison. We will have to distribute the tubes at some point before the shift, preferably before resting hours the day before. Will, you can handle this?"

"Absolutely," Will answered confidently.

"Good. If the guards follow their usual assignments, there will be only two for our group. Immediately upon deactivating my collar, I will use the drill to... deal with them," José continued. "Orassa, you and the other asari will be crucial at this moment. Your biotics will be the only factor to give us a fighting chance."

"It has been some time since I have fully exerted my biotics, but I promise you that I will not fail. Do we have a plan if the guards are not nearby?" Orassa questioned softly.

Will tapped the collar on his neck. "Hopefully they'll come running to investigate."

José nodded in affirmation. "We will secure their weapons and work our way upward from there. I will lead the group, of course, as I will have the suit. Once we have returned to the hub, we can raid the tool depot for any spare suits and deal with the guards as we see fit. We will prioritize the equipment to the twelve of us who are leading the attack, but we should disable as many collars as we can during this time." There was a short pause. "It will only take a few minutes before the entire facility is aware that something is amiss. Our saving grace is that it will take time for the security force to make it from the central chamber to our hub. We must use their initial weakness of numbers to our advantage."

"After that?" Will inquired.

"After that, we wait for a counter-attack. With enough equipment scavenged from the tool depot and fallen guards, we should have a fighting chance," José answered. "Then we must make our way to the central chamber, where the dormitory is located, and secure as much gear as possible. With that, we can work on securing the other hubs and our escape."

The trio exchanged expectant looks, each of them waiting for another to speak. Orassa lifted her chin slightly and nodded in approval.

"We will succeed. I am sure of it."

Will gave her a bittersweet smile. "I heard those same words a few days before I fucked things up and landed myself in here."

José placed a hand on Will's shoulder. "These guards are not soldiers. And they are not expecting an organized rebellion. Have faith, my friend."

* * *

Twenty-nine days later, Will lay in his cot staring at the ceiling. He had not slept for a second the entire night. Out of the corner of his eye Will could see the clock on the far wall counting down to the alarm that was to wake the crew for their shift. He turned onto his side and looked around the bunkroom where a few dozen of his fellow slaves slept. Some of them, at least. There were eleven others, however, that seemed to be laying awaking just as he was. He had distributed the vials of mineral samples the night before, and all of them had been fully informed of the attack plan well in advance. In just over an hour the twelve of them would be jumping into the fire that would either end in their salvation or their death.

José was the first to rise, as always, and headed off for the mess hall to retrieve his morning foodstuffs. Will pulled himself from his cot shortly afterward and dressed in one of the three ratty jumpsuits that made up the entirety of his wardrobe. Inside the pocket was a small glass cylinder. He touched the outside of his pocket just enough to feel its presence before turning to the mess hall door and forcing his feet to carry his body forward. He ate, walked to the tool depot to retrieve his scanner, and made his way to the tram to wait for the rest of his group. The personnel tram was a piece of equipment not quite fitting of the name that seemed more like a few heavy slabs of metal guided by mass effect generators than a tram of any shape or form. Slowly, the others began to appear. The first were the two humans, Jin and Francesca. Will gave them a courteous nod and tried his best not to act suspicious to the two guards that were leaning against a wall a few dozen feet away. The next person to arrive was Orassa, who smiled and bowed her head in greeting to the others. Will always found her sophisticated and almost regal pleasantries so unfortunately out of place given the degraded and torn jumpsuits she and everyone else wore. After her came José, who had been equipping his mining suit and preparing the drill at the tool depot since finishing his quick breakfast. He loaded the equipment onto the tram without saying a word and sat on one of the benches at the front, staring ahead into the mine shaft.

Ten minutes before their shift was to begin, the two guards that had been watching the group from a few dozen feet away nodded to one another and began their slow march toward the tram. Will looked around to see the eleven others, as well as the ten workers who were not aware of their plan. The descent to their working area took only a few minutes. All the while, Will sat with his hands in his pockets and eyes toward the ground, his fingers grasping the tube desperately. Finally, the tram came to a stop in a small, hollowed out room large enough to act as a loading and unloading station. Will looked up to see the exhausted workers from the previous shift lining up to board for their return trip to the hub. The guards waited as Will's group filed out of the tram car and into the room to let the others on.

"Finally," one of the guards muttered as he waited to board.

"Twelve hour shift?" Another asked as he stepped off the tram.

The other shook his head. "Fourteen."

The newly arriving guard laughed and slapped his comrade on the shoulder as they passed, one boarding and one disembarking.

"Enjoy the rest. Our turn to handle these flees."

Will stepped to the side and watched as the previous shift of workers and guards filed onto the tram before setting off up the tunnel toward the hub. Eyes around the room began to dart toward the shift clock sitting on a shelf near the collection depot. Two minutes. The guards had already made their way to the wall where they could relax and continue their conversation from the hub. José was hurrying to prepare the deep-drill's mining laser, all while keeping his helmet off so he would still be able to deactivate his collar when the time came. He turned the laser's hovercart to put the beam's sights at a ninety degree angle away from the guards as to not arouse suspicion. Will looked to the clock again. Thirty seconds. One of the guards looked over from his conversation to see José still working at the laser's control panel.

"The fuck are you doing?" He barked.

José glanced up. "Just calibrating the laser."

Five seconds.

"It's already  _calibrated_ ," the guard grumbled angrily.

Now.

Will pulled his hand from his pocket with the sample tube between his fingers. He held the tube to his neck just long enough to see the ambient tone on his hand from the blinking light disappear. The others had all done the same, almost perfectly in unison. The guards were clearly confused, and raised their weapons in defensive instinct. José had mere seconds to pull on his helmet and throw all of his weight into the mining laser. As it spun in line with the guards, José pressed the button to activate the beam and sent a blinding blue light blazing forth and into the chest of one of the guards. He shouted in pain as the mining laser cut clean through his shields and armor, burning his torso open in under a second. His comrade was forced to jump out of the way and behind the cover of a crate of a supplies.

"Let's go!" José shouted at the top of his lungs.

Will ran to his side and the cover that the mining laser provided. A second later, yelps of pain rang out as the ten slaves who had not been part of their planning were shocked by their collars.

"Group seven has gone hostile!" The guard shouted. "Need immediate support!"

Gunfire erupted from the guard's rifle and tore into the armor plating on the mining drill. Thankfully, the shielding designed to prevent damage during normal mining operations provided enough resistance to stop the salvo.

"Yeaggh!"

The guard screamed in shock as the distorted sound of biotics exploded from somewhere else in the room. Will risked looking around the edge of the drill to see the guard was being thrown into the air by a biotic attack coursing from Orassa's hands. He smiled confidently as the other asari, Nelsorris, slammed the guard with an equally powerful attack and threw him back into the ground. The colliding mass effect fields twisted and ravaged his body, leaving the guard a broken mess on the floor.

José jumped up and ran for the guard that had been torn apart by biotics and quickly retrieved his rifle and the pistol stowed on his back. At the same time, Will hurried to the guard that had been torn open by the mining laser and grabbed his weapons as well. He gripped the rifle in his hand and drew a deep breath through his nose as he felt the overwhelming urge to kill every last one of the slavers in the facility above them.

"Get the others freed!" José shouted to the rest of the team.

Jin, Edwin, Saelunon and Pelkat quickly spread out and deactivated the collars on the ten remaining workers as Will approached Francesca and handed her the pistol he had collected from the dead guard. José waved Lannus over and did the same, equipping the turian with a sidearm and leaving himself and Will with the rifles.

"What is happening?" One of the workers, a salarian, cried out as his collar was deactivated.

"We are escaping from this place," José declared firmly. "I would suggest you all remain here. Things will become violent."

Will leaned back down to the dead guard and pulled off his glove. He unclasped the omnitool bracelet beneath it and slid it onto his wrist before activating the tool and opening up the first active comm channel.

" _Where?"_ A voice asked.

" _Hub three!"_ Someone said in response.

Will looked over his shoulder. "José, we gotta get back to the hub  _now_  if we're going to raid the tool depot!"

"I can activate the collection carts," the salarian, Saelunon, called.

Five of the carts had already been lined up to be loaded and sent back to the hub for processing on the conveyor belt. The salarian stood at the back, fiddling with the control panel that dictated their automated movements.

"Everyone in," José ordered as he ran toward them.

The group of twelve approached and begin filling the five carts, which allowed two or three per cart with ease. The carts were barely more than large, metal bins on an automated guidance system, leaving Will with no illusions that they would stop a bullet. The ten other workers were clearly frightened, and stepped back to watch as the hopeful liberators prepared themselves. With the group fully loaded, Saelunon activated the return sequence and jumped into the final car as they lurched forward and began ascending toward the hub.

"What's the plan?" Will asked José.

"We'll take out as much initial resistance as we can in the hub, but if you see an opening, I want you to get to the tool depot as quickly as possible. Francesca, Lannus and I will act as a distraction if necessary." José looked back to the second car. "Orassa, you will stay with me. Nelsorris, follow Will when he makes his run for the tools."

The two asari nodded in affirmation.

"I will erect a biotic barrier if we attract their attention," Nelsorris informed Will.

"Good, good." Will looked down at the rifle in his hands and nodded reassuringly to himself.

José looked back to one of the rear carts. "Drezlin, Prentin! Follow Will and Nelsorris to the tool depot! I want as many people as possible suited up!"

The turian and batarian exchanged a nervous look, but nodded agreeably.

"I see the end of the tunnel ahead," José declared. "Everyone prepare yourselves! If you do not have a weapon, stay safe until you can acquire one!"

Will looked ahead to see the light at the end of the tunnel growing brighter and larger. He brought his rifle up to bear and shoved the stock into his shoulder while closing an eye and aiming down the barrel. The cart leveled off as it left the tunnel and entered the hub cavern. Will scanned the room immediately and spotted a trio of guards running toward them from the prefab unit used as their ready room.

"Three, right side!" José called out.

Will, José, Lannus and Francesca opened fire as soon as they had a shot. The guards were clearly not expecting resistance so quickly, and dove for cover as their shields began deteriorating rapidly. Will caught the slowest of the three in leg as his shields failed, puncturing his armor and dropping him with a yelp of pain. José, Lannus and Francesca adjusted their fire and silenced him. Will turned and looked straight ahead to the center of the cavern. The prefab mess hall and bunkroom was at the center of the small pavilion, with the tool depot being around the corner on the left, while the guard's ready room was positioned on the right. In theory, it would line up perfectly with their plans: José, Lannus and Francesca could distract any of the guards on the right side of the building while Will and the others with him could move to the tool depot on the left.

"On me!" Will shouted as he let off the trigger and turned from the hostiles.

He tumbled over the lip of the cart and onto the dirt floor of the cavern, putting himself out of sight of the guards just as they began to return fire. Nelsorris, Drezlin and Prentin jumped out of their carts and hurried to Will's side as they crouched for cover. Will pointed to the corner of the mess hall and looked to each of them.

"We've got about forty feet of exposed terrain before we're out of their firing angle," he said quickly. "Whatever you do,  _do not stop running!_ "

The three of them nodded with determined eyes. Will reached back and knocked the metal side of the cart behind him.

"Orassa, now!"

On cue, the asari let out a guttural roar as she flung a violent and unrestrained biotic shockwave toward the two guards. As soon as the attack was unleashed, Will pushed himself to his feet and sprinted toward the left corner of the large, central prefab with the scavenged rifle hugged tight against his chest. He didn't have time to check that the others were following until he had slid around the corner and out of sight. He sighed in relief as Nelsorris shot past him and around the corner, followed by Prentin and Drezlin a second later. Will ignored his driving heart and set off toward the tool depot located just around the corner at the end of the prefab. He pushed his back up against the wall as he reached the corner and peered around to see the lockup where the tools were stored and retrieved by the guards. As of now there were two figures behind the line of workbenches that separated the lockup from the queue where workers would wait to pick up their equipment.

The first man, an unarmored human, pointed in the direction of the ensuing firefight. "Help them, god damn it!"

Will could see the unarmored man holding a pistol in his hand. The armored guard he was trying to convince to leave, however, held his rifle up and shook his head reluctantly.

"Call if anyone shows up!" He responded while running off toward José, Orassa, and the rest of the group.

Will looked back to the others and held up a single finger. He held himself perfectly still and counted to fifteen before stepping out from behind the corner with is rifle aimed directed at the mechanic.

"Drop your gun and raise your hands or you're  _fucking dead,_ " Will demanded in as intimidating a tone as he could.

The man jumped in shock and stared at Will for a few seconds before realizing he was staring down the barrel of a rifle and nodded, slowly laying the gun on the counter.

"Hey, easy," the man pleaded. "I'm just a mechanic."

"A mechanic with no aversion to forced labor," Nelsorris correct as she stepped out with biotic energy swirling around her wrists.

The mechanic's eyes widened as Prentin and Drezlin revealed themselves as well. Will held his rifle on the man as he approached the workbench between them and motioned toward the pistol.

"Drezlin, grab the gun," he ordered.

The batarian hurried around Will and grabbed the pistol. As he aimed toward the mechanic, Will dropped his aim and reached over the bench to grab the mechanic's hand. He yanked it down and unclasped the omnitool bracelet on his wrist.

"Can't have you alerting the others," Will said in a feigned apology. "Prentin, here."

The turian grasped the bracelet and slid it onto his wrist before leaping over the counter and stepping up to the door of the lockup with his omnitool activated.

"What's the passcode?" The turian asked.

The mechanic swallowed hard and squinted his eyes, visualizing the lock in his mind. "It's, uh... 8 – 2 – 7 – 5 – 5 – 0 – 5 – 1."

The lock pinged amicably as Prentin activated the code and stepped to the side. "We're in."

Will grinned and jumped over the counter. "Watch him," he said to the turian and batarian. "Nelsorris, with me. We need to get these suits on as quickly as we can."

He handed his rifle to Prentin as he passed by and stepped through the opening door of the lockup. Nelsorris vaulted over the workbench and followed him inside as Will began to scan the racks of equipment for the mining suits.

"Wait, did you say 'suits?'" The mechanic asked.

Will glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah, the mining suits."

"Heh, sorry buddy, you're outta luck there."

Will narrowed his eyes and turned back to face the man. He waved Nelsorris on to continue searching the equipment as he hurried back to the mechanic and stared him down.

"What do you mean?"

"They're not here," the mechanic laughed. "I mean, there might be one or two back there. But hub one and two requisitioned all our spares a few days ago for an excavation."

Will felt a pit in his stomach that may have been his heart dropping. "Nelsorris?" He called hopefully.

The asari let out a disgruntled sigh. "I found the cases. They're all empty."

Panic was creeping into Will's mind. If their chances before had been slim, they were now barely existent.

"This... this is not how this was supposed to go," Will shook his head and grabbed the rifle back from Prentin. "Okay, change of plans. We need to get back to the others. We have to stay together from this point on."

"What about him?" Drezlin muttered while motioning his gun toward the mechanic.

Will pointed to the lockup. "Just throw him inside and lock the door, hurry!"

Nelsorris stepped out and grabbed the man by his jumpsuit. The mechanic stumbled slightly as he was forced into the lockup and locked inside by Prentin. Will had already jumped back over the workbench and was slowly building a running pace toward the prefab with the others falling in behind him. The sound of gunfire was still echoing loudly throughout the cavern.

"We'll head around the other side," he called to them. "See if we can get a flanking angle!"

Will sprinted down the side of the building and slid to a halt at the edge. He peered around to see gunfire being spit back and forth between the escapees and the guards. Another one of the three original guards had been killed at some point, only to be replaced by the guard Will had seen upon first arriving at the tools depot Will drew in a sharp breath as he looked to the mining carts to see the body of a turian laying to the side. Jin had retrieved his weapon and was now returning fire in his stead.

"Lannus is down," Will reported. "We have to help them!"

Will sprinted from the corner of the building to a bin full of rocks that would provide excellent cover against gunfire. He lifted his rifle and opened up on the closest guard as Nelsorris unleashed a biotic lift on him and ran to join Will. Drezlin leaned out from his position at the corner of the building and fired his pistol toward the other target, who was quickly shifting to shield himself from the new angle of attack. Will ducked down and activated the omnitool on his wrist and began a quick scan for nearby comm signals. He sighed in relief as he saw one generic enough to be José's suit and connect to him immediately.

"The suits were moved!" Will shouted as soon as the connection was established.

" _Damn it,"_ José cursed angrily.  _"Keep up the fight, they're almost down!"_

"José, they'll mow us down!" Will argued frantically.

José snarled.  _"I said keep fighting!"_

Another biotic attack from Orassa struck one of the guards and flung him to the ground where a shot from Francesca's pistol landed the killing blow. As their final foe ducked into cover behind a crate, movement from the large tunnel across the room that led up to the facility's central chamber caught Will's eye. He dropped to the ground instinctively just as a hail of bullets came raining down on both groups. At least a dozen security guards had arrived to the hub and were storming into the cavern with their sights drawn on the slaves attempting escape. Will peered out from cover to see the other group returning fire. He shook his head desperately as an overwhelming storm of bullets pierced through José's shielding and armor, sending him tumbling backward and onto the ground as blood poured from his wounds. Francesca and Jin ducked down as quickly as they could, but the latter was too late. A bullet struck clean through Jin's head, leaving his lifeless body to collapse beside Francesca as she screamed in horror.

Will closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, shaking his head in fright.

"Enough!" The booming voice of the foreman shouted.

The gunfire quickly ceased.

"Drop your weapons and come out!" He ordered. "I will  _not_ repeat myself!"

Will opened his eyes and looked to his side where Nelsorris sat with her back pressed up against the wall. She shook her head hopelessly and grasped her face in her hands as she breathed deeply to pull herself together.

A single shot rang out that impacted somewhere in the ceiling.  _"Now!"_  The foreman yelled, clearly enraged. "Or I'll kill you all myself!"

"I don't want to die," Nelsorris muttered quietly.

Will drew in a deep breath and threw his rifle to the ground. "I'm sorry," he managed to say.

He raised his hands and slowly stood from his concealment. Will looked to where the others had been hiding in their cover and caught Orassa's eye. The asari stared to him with a look of something between disappointment and bitter resignation. Will turned his eyes away from her and looked to the foreman as he stared him down with at least ten armed guards around him. He wasn't going to let all of these people die because he and José had failed. Will closed his eyes and prepared himself for the inevitable.

"I surrender," Will said weakly.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 4**

_**Undocumented Mining Facility, Kamarov, Pamyat System** _

One by one, the others had followed Will's lead and surrendered. Together they were roughly rounded up by the guards under command of the facility's foreman and lined shoulder to shoulder at the center of the hub. It hadn't taken long for other slaves to appear from the mess hall and bunkroom once the gunfire had ceased, and a decent sized group had gathered to watch in silence. The fact that the guards were not dispersing them was worrying Will. He desperately hoped that they were not about to be made an example of. Will had only seen the batarian foreman once or twice after his arrival, and knew that he did not like dealing with the problems caused by his slaves.

"It's a simple question," the foreman said with a sigh. "Who is responsible for this? Or do I need to punish  _everyone_  to the same extent?"

This was his fault. He should have taken control when José was killed. These people had been counting on him and now three of them were dead. Three so far. The foreman came to a stop in front of the line and ran his gaze from one end to the other. If this was the end, Will couldn't let everyone else fall with him. As he opened his mouth to speak, another voice barked out a response.

"It was José Moore," yelped Prentin.

"José Moore," the foreman repeated.

"He was in the shielding suit," Prentin paused momentarily. "You killed him."

The foreman looked back over his shoulder to where the bodies of the three dead slaves had been lined up by the guards. "That so?" He asked. "Convenient that the one responsible was killed, no?"

"You wanted the answer, you got it," Francesca muttered weakly.

As he turned back to the row of would-be escapees, the tram appeared from the tunnel where the attack had begun. Three guards jumped off and hurried over to the foreman with their guns held across their chests.

"Sir, we checked the tunnel. Two of ours dead, none of them," reported the first of the group.

The foreman nodded in consideration. "Well, if Mister Moore was indeed the lone instigator for this pathetic little rebellion, I suppose part of the punishment has already been dealt." He held up a single finger. "But the numbers don't add up yet."

Will and the rest of the slaves stood motionless as the foreman slowly began to circle around them. He could see out of the corner of his eye, just as the foreman was stepping out of sight, that he had drawn the pistol from his holster.

"Five of my men. Three of yours," the continued. "Let's even that out."

Two shots rang out in quick succession. Two bodies collapsed to the ground. Will looked down with wide eyes. The first was Edwin, one of the humans, shot through the back of the head and laying face-down in the dirt as blood gushed from his wound. The second was Nelsorris, the asari. The bullet had passed clear through the side of her head and caused her to crumple onto her side next to Edwin's body. Will would have shouted in fear or anger had he not been paralyzed with shock. The others had the same reaction, leaving only the slaves who had been watching from beside the mess hall to gasp and scream in terror. Amidst the pandemonium, the foreman walk back to stand in front of the line with his gun still in his hand.

"You all should consider yourselves incredibly fortunate that I don't have another shipment of workers due for a few months," he informed them far too casually. "You're also lucky that I believe in giving everyone a second chance. Even scum like you all." He turned to face the onlookers and raised his voice. "But consider this your only warning. If this happens again I will dispose of  _everyone_  involved." He pointed to the seven remaining escapees. "And all of them as well, just for good measure."

Will could hear the shaking and stuttering in his breath. He had seen loved ones and comrades dead or dying before. He had even seen his own father laying face-down in a pool of his own blood. But he had never seen two people he trusted be executed in cold blood in front of his eyes. Will gasped as he was yanked back slightly and had the inactive collar around his neck ripped off. A new collar was locked into place a second later. The slaver quartermaster proceeded down the line of seven and did the same to the others as the foreman watched patiently. Once the final collar was in place, the foreman activated his omnitool and casually tapped a few commands. A brief moment later, all seven yelled in pain as the collars unleashed into their necks the most excruciating pain any of them had even felt. Will fell to his knees and grabbed the dirt floor with his hands to keep himself upright.

"Your assigned guards will deliver a punishment to the degree that they see fit on a schedule that I will dictate," the foreman declared plainly.

As the shock ended, Will shook involuntarily and gasped for breath, coughing deeply. At that moment, he almost wished he had received the same punishment as Edwin and Nelsorris.

* * *

It had been a full week and Will was still surprised each day when he woke up. Somehow, he was still holding onto the hope that he had, at some point, slumbered into a terrible nightmare. At first he had hoped that dreamed everything since the  _Hyperion_  crew had encountered Cerberus. Then everything since his final confrontation with their frigate. Now, he wished it was everything since their failed escape attempt. He was running out of concessions. He stared at the ceiling as he lay on his cot while the alarm blared for the fifth and final time to signal his shift beginning in one hour.

"Come on, Will," a soft voice called.

Will turned his head to see Francesca sitting on her cot a few rows away, strapping on her boots.

"You'll be late," she continued flatly.

Francesca had barely spoken since their escape attempt. Will knew that she and Jin had known each other since before they were enslaved, but it wasn't until his death that Will realized how close they had been.

"Thanks," he spoke quietly in return.

She stood and began to walk away without another word.

Will dressed himself and made his way to the mess hall where the rest of the upcoming shift workers were already eating their breakfast. He ate slowly and stared ahead blankly as the others around him finished and hurried off to the tool depot to retrieve their equipment for the day. Will lagged behind them, his body sore from both work and the intense shocks he was subjected to every day or so. After requisitioning a scanner, he crossed the cavern to the tram where two of the guards stood watching him with predatory eyes.

"I'd suggest you put that down," the turian guard ordered.

With a defeated sigh, Will came to a stop and knelt down to place his scanner on the ground. He looked up as the first guard opened his omnitool and selected a shock severity before administering the punishment. The seconds the shock lasted felt like minutes. When it unceremoniously concluded, Will gasped deeply and focused his eyes the best he could. He managed to push himself to his feet and grab his scanner before stumbling forward onto the tram. He tripped as the second guard kicked his leg, causing him to slam into the metal plating of the floor. Will lay motionless for a moment before gathering his strength and pulling himself to his feet once again, giving the pair of guards an intense glare of hatred as they boarded after him without a second thought.

When the tram arrived at the tunnels, Will stood and waited to step off after the other passengers. His eyes lit up slightly as he caught sight of Orassa standing in the group waiting to board. They had not had their shifts intersect since the escape. He mustered the best smile he could and gave her a friendly nod. The asari's eyes fell on him briefly before looking down without a thought of acknowledgment. Will stared in surprise until a shove in his back reminded him to move forward and step off the tram. He looked back as Orassa boarded with her group. The asari continued to stare at the ground, a solemn and unreadable expression on her face.

"You're with my team," Francesca's voice called again.

He turned to see her waiting with a drill in her hand. Will glanced back to Orassa one last time as the tram sped off toward the hub.

* * *

The days were beginning to blend together and keeping track of how many had passed was becoming increasingly difficult for Will. What was once a means of motivation and invigoration was now merely a stinging reminder of how futile any remaining hope seemed to be. He sat in the mess hall, idly sipping at the glass of water in his hand and staring ahead to nothing in particular. He felt as though he had not slept in weeks. Each night when he lay down in his cot, all he could think of were their faces. At first it was only those who had died during their attempted escape: José, Lannus, Jin, Nelsorris and Edwin. Then Welkinn's face joined them. Shortly after that, Corsin's. Just the night before, his father's face had appeared, all of them together staring blankly and lifelessly.

"William."

It took Will a moment to realize he was being addressed. He raised his eyes to look across the table where Orassa stood with her hands straight at her sides and a reluctantly concerned expression on her face. He opened his mouth to speak, but found no words.

"William, I'm sorry," she apologized. "The past few weeks have been difficult. I have been avoiding having to speak to you. "

He nodded slowly. "I understand."

She gave him a regretful frown and walked around the table to sit beside him.

"Are you doing alright?"

Will closed his eyes and swallowed the last sip of water in his glass. "Watching good people die is... it's hard to..."

"I know," Orassa assured. "I have had to do it far too many times in my life."

"But that's not the worst part," Will argued. "The worst part is that it's my fault."

The asari furrowed her brow. "Your fault? Why would you say such a thing?"

He shook his head. "Someone had to hold us together when José was... when he couldn't anymore. It should have been me." Will put a hand over his eyes. "Instead I just fucking gave up."

"William, we had no chance once the reinforcements arrived," she argued quietly. "We estimated it would take them upwards of fifteen minutes to deduce a problem and form up a counter-attack. They were here in less than eight."

"That was  _my_  estimate," Will said bitterly.

"That José and I agreed on," Orassa countered.

Will looked over to her clenched his fists. "Can you just let me have this? This was  _my fault._ "

Orassa stared at him with concern in her eyes and tilted her head in slight confusion. "You would rather lie to yourself than accept that there might be variables outside of your control?" She shook her head. "None of the deaths here have been your fault, William. I would not lie to someone about something so important. But you are right about one thing. You did fail."

"I what?"

"You failed," she said firmly. "We all did. But one failure does not mean we should give up."

Will turned himself back to the table and closed his eyes. "We have nothing now. And they'll be watching us even closer than before."

Orassa reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "The moment you let yourself truly believe that is the moment they have won. Do you really want to die here?"

"Of course not," he answered quietly.

"Then you  _must_ believe there is still hope." Orassa sighed. "It may not be tomorrow, or a month from now, or even a year from now. But we will live to see ourselves leave this place. Do you trust me?"

Will continued to sit with his eyes closed. The hand on his shoulder was warm and comforting, something he had not felt in a long, long time. Part of him felt that Orassa's seemingly blind faith was unfounded, but rest of him wanted desperately to believe otherwise. He finally opened his eyes and looked to her with a small nod.

"I do."

"We'll have our chance," she reiterated. "But we must be patient. Cautious. More so than we ever were before."

He answered slowly. "I know. We'll be okay."

Will took in a shaky breath and shut is eyes again. Orassa pulled him into a gentle, motherly embrace and nodded softly. He let out a deep sigh and sat back in his seat looking to her with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you," Will said earnestly. "How are you, by the way?"

Orassa smiled softly. "A life centuries long gives you a different perspective from most. It's given me experience with tribulations such as this. I've learned that whenever you think you are at your lowest, there is always a high due sooner than you might think."

"Heh, I've had some ups and downs too, Orassa. Believe me." His expression slackened slightly. "But nothing like this."

"Then, like I said, your options are either to roll over and accept the fate which has been undeservedly thrust upon us, or reject it and hold onto the hope that things can change someday." She crossed her arms. "I've lived too long to let myself die  _here_  of all places."

"I really hope you're right," Will admitted.

Orassa slowly rose from her seat. "You finished a shift recently?"

Will cleared his throat and stood beside her. "Yeah. I need to get some sleep. I have to be up for the next one in six hours."

"Then rest well, William. And don't forget that I'm always here if you need me."

"The same goes for me to you." He looked over to her and mustered a tiny smile. "Thank you again. God, if José  _and_  you had been killed..." He shook the thought from his mind. "We'll get out. We owe it to him."

"That we do," she agreed. "And we will. Our day will come."


	5. Chapter 5

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 5**

_**Undocumented Mining Facility, Kamarov, Pamyat System** _

Will let out a small groan as he pulled himself off of his cot and onto his feet. He reached down to grab one of his jumpsuits and slowly pulled it on along with his boots. His eyes shifted to the clock on the wall. The time indicated that the alarm for his shift was to sound in a few minutes, but months ago he had fallen into the habit of waking up slightly early. He stared at the clock and wished he knew how many days had gone by. Will had stopped keeping track after he realized that the days in the facility were not the same as the galactic standard.

"I won't die here," he whispered to himself.

He had started out every morning by reassuring himself that one day they would escape, as Orassa had advised him to do. The asari claimed that she had been doing this since the day she had arrived, and it was the only thing that kept her going at times. But it hadn't been enough for Will. He'd needed something more to keep himself from giving up hope. Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he thought of Shansa and Eleena's faces. The first thing he saw was the smile Shansa almost always wore, and felt his spirits rise just from the mental image. He recalled the memory of the two of them docking the  _Hyperion_  alone for the first time, something he had not thought about in years. Captain Nieto's body was still on board, and they had sworn to one another that they would find him a civilized port for burial. Will couldn't remember the name of the rainy colony that had accepted his body. He would have to find it again someday.

Then his thoughts shifted to Eleena. A wave of senses settled over his mind. At first it was what he saw from her: a confident grin, a teasing roll of her eyes, a book sticking out of her bag of tools, a comforting touch of her hand. Then he felt what was inside her. Thoughts and memories she had shared with him during their numerous bondings.

Will saw Eleena, perhaps a hundred or two years younger, on an unfamiliar ship working tirelessly at the drive core.

" _We don't have much time,"_  a nervous, disembodied voice called out.

Eleena acknowledged the warning and continued her furious tinkering on a coolant valve.  _"Relax. We're not dead yet."_  She responded.

She looked down at a timer on her omnitool that read twenty-six minutes and thirty-seven seconds. There was plenty of time to get the drive core working before the ship fell out of orbit from Olokun.

"William?"

He felt himself jump slightly as he opened his eyes and looked to his side where a woman's voice had called to him. Orassa stood beside him with a small smile and her arms folded behind her back.

"Are you alright?" She continued.

Will took a deep breath and took one last glimpse at his morning remembrance before pushing the thoughts aside and nodding in response.

"I'm fine," he answered quietly.

Orassa placed a hand on his shoulder as the two began to walk toward the mess hall. "I didn't want you to be late. You do remember that we have things to discuss this morning, yes?"

"Yeah, of course." His voice trailed off as they stepped through the door. "I was just thinking about a few old things."

The two of them retrieved their morning meals and came to sit in the back corner of the room, far enough away from any others that they would be out of earshot. After taking a few bites of their food, Will downed a long gulp of water and sighed.

"I've been talking to some of the others and I think we'll get our chance within a few months," he said decisively.

Orassa's chewing slowed slightly as she raised her brow in surprise. She swallowed her food and took a sip of water for herself before replying.

"That seems... awfully soon," she said reluctantly.

"The hard part is over," he quickly objected. "We've know the patterns, even those that take months to recognize, and we have people ready to help. Now, we just have to wait for the stars to align." Will placed his hands on the table. "But you've got doubts?"

"I trust your judgment," Orassa answered. "But, as you said, we must wait for  _all_  the variables. The guard shift change, gear maintenance and our shift schedule does not coincide simultaneously but once in a very rare while."

"And I'm telling you, it's going to happen soon," Will protested. "I've been watching the patterns and I think-"

"William, we must be  _certain._  You know what happened when we guessed," Orassa reminded him.

He nearly snapped at her in protest, but caught and restrained himself. Of course he knew. Five dead, one being a close friend. Daily collar shocking as a continual punishment. Months upon months of waiting for the foreman to let his guard down enough for them to begin gathering data. And, of course, the yellow mineral with electromagnetic properties was now identified by the the scanners and marked if any was extracted without authorization. Now, the only viable way to deactivate their collars was to do it straight from a guard's omnitool.

Will grumbled irritably. "I know, I know. We won't rush it."

"Will Hume!" A voice boomed from the opposite end of the mess hall.

The quiet murmurs from other slaves silenced at once. Will looked over to see the foreman standing in the doorway with his arms crossed and four eyes staring him down. Will glanced back to Orassa, who took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She might have been praying for all he knew, but he could not just ignore the call. He rose to his feet.

"Sir?"

The batarian held up a hand and ordered him over with a beckoning finger. Will slowly made his way across the room with the nervous eyes of fellow slaves following him as he passed by. As he came to a stop in front of the foreman, the batarian looked him up and down once.

"Sir?" Will repeated, as condescendingly as possible.

"Someone's interested in... purchasing you," the batarian said slowly, almost out of disbelief. "Sounds like someone you pissed off at some point."

Will set his jaw defiantly and crossed his arms. "Are you intentionally drawing this out or what?"

The batarian snarled and ushered him through the door. Will stepped down the stairs to the dirt floor of the hub cavern and looked straight ahead. He could see two guards talking to three armored strangers facing away from him: a male salarian and turian, and a human female, judging by her stance and hair wrapped in a tight bun. One of the two guards nodded and pointed behind the three guests to where Will and the foreman approached. They came to a stop a few feet away as the others turned to face them.

Will frozen in shock as the three new comers stared him down. Not out of fear, but from utter incomprehension. The turian and salarian were unrecognizable to Will, but the woman at the center was someone he had not known or seen since their lives were torn apart on Arvuna. She was a ghost. Her name was Kay Fischer. The woman's eyes locked onto Will intently and her nostrils flared just slightly in excitement. Her lips curled into a small grin. As Shansa's older sister, the two shared almost identical facial features, but everything else was completely different. Where Shansa was petite, pale and redheaded like their father, Kay had inherited the darker skin, jet-black hair and tall, intimidating stature of their mother. Will and Kay stared one another down in silence for nearly ten full seconds before the foreman cleared his throat loudly.

"This who you're lookin' for?" The batarian asked.

Kay continued to stare Will down in what seemed like a gleam of fascination. She seemed almost as surprised as Will. "Yes. Yes it is."

"Good. He's been a pain in the ass," the foreman grumbled. "But he's not free. Let's talk figures."

Kay drew in a deep breath. "No, let's not."

In one swift motion, Kay spun on her heel to face the foreman and drew the pistol on her belt. As she brought the pistol in line with his face, three bullets discharged from the weapon in rapid succession and killed the foreman instantly. Before the two guards standing with them had a chance to react, the turian and salarian had lifted their rifles and unloaded a dozen rounds into them, killing both. As the third body hit the ground, Kay spun to face two guards on the far side of the room who had just heard the commotion and were turning to investigate. Together, the three of them opened fire and unleashed a hail of bullets from their military-grade weaponry into the two other guards while Will scrambled back and away from the confrontation. It quickly became apparent that the equipment the guards were outfitted with were in no way comparable to those of Kay and her two companions in an even fight, as the two others fell to the ground after only a dozen or so shots. Kay holstered her sidearm and drew her rifle as she turned and hurried over to where Will was crouched and watching.

"The manifest was right," Kay said with a wicked grin to no one in particular. "Willie, are there more guards on this level?"

Will blinked and pulled himself to his feet. "I..." He shook his head. "Kay, what are you...  _how_ are you-"

"Don't really have time for twenty questions!" Kay interrupted. "We're getting you out. Are there more or not?"

"No... no, there are plenty down in the tunnels, but they're about to return with their shift workers. And all the other hubs should have a half-dozen or so as well," Will recalled. "And that's not counting those back in the main chamber."

"Okay, then we need to leave  _now_ ," Kay declared. "Fynnis! Get this thing off of him."

The turian turned and trotted over with his omnitool activated. He knelt beside Will and held his hand up beside the collar around his neck as he worked to disable it.

"Did you hit their comms?" Kay asked as Fynnis arrived.

"About ten seconds before you blew that batarian's head open," the turian assured her casually.

The collar around Will's neck buzzed and slackened. Will reached around his neck and unclasped the lock, pulling it off with a small groan of relief.

Kay watched as the collar was removed and grabbed her pistol from her belt. "Your dad showed you how to use these things, right? Still remember?"

Will grunted and pulled himself to his feet. "You could say that," he said with a bewildered laugh.

"Good."

She shoved the sidearm into his hand and turned around. "Alright, let's get the fuck out of here. Which way did we come in from?"

Will was still in a state of shock and was hoping that his mind would catch up at some point. Fynnis pointed toward the tunnel on the far side of the room that led up to the central chamber and the trio turned to make their escape.

"Wait, wait!" Will called as he finally processed what was happening. "There are hundreds of other people enslaved here!"

Kay came to a firm stop. "We'll contact the Alliance and they'll send in a team. But we can't take out everyone here by ourselves!"

Will shook his head defiantly. "No, we have to bring someone!"

"Rggh! You're making this a lot more complicated than it needs to be, Willie!" Kay barked, the stress starting to show.

"Well if I'd known you were going to come back from the dead to rescue me today I would have been more prepared!" Will shouted in response.

Kay opened her mouth to object, only to decide against it and let out a sigh. He turned and ran back toward the door that led into the mess hall as Kay, Fynnis and the salarian watched. Will opened the door and burst inside to a dozen shocked faces. Orassa looked up in surprise from the far table, her eyes clearly strained from worrying. She rose to her feet as she saw Will standing in the door, weapon in hand, and ran toward him.

"William!" The asari called. "What-"

"No time," he objected. "Come with me!"

Will beckoned her to follow and ran to where Kay and the others were waiting. Orassa shook her head, utterly perplexed, and looked to Will with her mouth agape.

"This is Orassa," Will said with a small pant.

The asari looked between Will and their three rescuers. "Who is this? What's going on?"

"I'm Kay. We're leaving," Kay informed her curtly. "Fynnis, you mind?"

The turian pulled up his omnitool and deactivated the collar on Orassa's neck the same as he had done for Will. As they began to run toward the tunnel that led to the surface, Orassa grabbed Will's arm to get his attention. He looked to the side and raised a brow, waiting for her to speak. The asari seemed to be in the same state of shock he had been in just a minute earlier.

"There are others," she managed to say. "Francesca, Prentin... we can't leave them."

"I know, I know. But it's either us or no one at all right now. We'll do something for them," Will assured her.

"Is that so?" Kay asked challengingly.

Will looked ahead to see her looking back over her shoulder. "At the very least we can shut down security!"

Kay grunted at Will's resistance, but looked over to the salarian that ran with them. "Myyl, is the ship ready for a quick getaway?"

"It should be," the salarian answered.

"Fine," Kay conceded. "We'll hit those buildings in the central chamber, but we're not sticking around!" She looked back to Will. "I'll give you three minutes, any more than that and we're pushing our luck too far."

Will wanted to fight for more time considering he had never even been inside the central chamber's main prefab, but he felt he was already pushing too much. He was being saved by a woman he thought had been  _dead_  or  _enslaved_  for years. Now was not the time to complicate matters.

"Fynnis, their comms still down?" Kay asked as they approached the end of the tunnel.

"Yeah, but they're probably investigating by now," the turian answered.

The group slowed and knelt behind a group of crates at the entrance to the tunnel. Myyl peered over the top and looked back to the others.

"I see two or three guards. They look a bit spooked," he said nervously.

"Probably know something's up," Kay muttered. "Which means reinforcements are probably on their way." She looked back to Will and pointed a finger. "We'll get you inside that building.  _Three minutes_ and we're leaving, you got that?"

Will nodded in affirmation. "Yeah, understood."

Her lips curled slightly in satisfaction. "Let's clear these guys out." Kay pointed to Will and Orassa. "You two stay the hell down. We'll take care of this."

They were met with no objections. A second later, Kay, Fynnis and Myyl were charging the guards with their guns blazing. Will pressed his back to the crates and closed his eyes, hoping desperately that he was not in the midst of a dream.

"Will!" His eyes shot open as he turned to look at a still bewildered Orassa. "Answers!" She demanded.

"I don't have any," Will admitted. "None that make sense at least. I've told you about what happened to me and my colony when I was younger, right? That's Kay Fischer... she was abducted with everyone else. At least, I thought so."

Orassa furrowed her brow. "You thought so?"

The sound of gunfire crackled and echoed through the cavern as Kay and her team battled the guards on post.

"There were only four of us who weren't abducted or killed when the village was attacked," Will quickly explained. "Kay wasn't one of us."

Orassa shrugged helplessly. "Then what is she doing here?" She shook her head immediately afterward. "Not that you would know..."

"Exactly," Will replied. "We'll get some answers after we're out."

The gunfire ceased. Will looked over the top of the crate to see Kay, Fynnis and Myyl quickly checking over the bodies of three guards that they strewn about the open area between the tunnel and the central prefab structure. After quickly verifying they were dead, Kay turned to face Will and Orassa and waved them over urgently. They ran toward the trio with Will holding the pistol ready in his hand just in case a problem arose.

"I'll take point inside," Kay decided. "Follow me. Fynnis, Myyl, keep thing secure out here."

The turian and salarian nodded and slid into cover behind a cart of supplies near the door. Kay marched to the entrance of the prefab and tapped the panel at the center of the door. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. The door slid open to reveal a guard with his gun pointed directly at Kay's head. Before she or Will could bring their weapons up, Orassa hit the target with a biotic throw, tossing the man back and off of his feet. Kay quickly took aim and fired a few shots into the guard before lifting her rifle and scanning the room in search of other targets. Upon seeing none, she looked back to Orassa and grinned.

"Nice one, blue."

Orassa let the biotic energy dissipate from her hands as she simply nodded in acknowledgment. Kay stepped inside and headed straight for a door on the far wall of the entrance hallway. Will and Orassa followed close behind, each of them ready to react to a fight at a moment's notice. After clearing the first few rooms and finding nothing worthwhile, a voice broke over Kay's omnitool.

" _We've got company out here!"_  Myyl said over the comms.

"Hold them off," Kay ordered. "We're still looking for the security room."

The sound of gunfire popped through the omnitool speaker.  _"Hurry!"_

After checking a few more rooms, Will finally sighed in relief as they found one littered with computer terminals. He hurried inside and sat down at the only terminal that was active and quickly began tapping through the command protocols.

"This is it," he said happily. "I should be able to deactivate all the collars and security doors..."

He tapped a few keys and smiled to himself as a series of red indicators turned blue. Kay leaned against the desk beside him and motioned toward the screen.

"That all?" She asked.

Will nodded and sat back. "Yeah. I think so."

Kay cracked her knuckles while fidgeting impatiently. "Then we-"

" _Kay!"_  Fynnis's voice called over the comms.  _"Myyl took a hit! He's not moving!"_

"Shit," Kay muttered. "Come on!"

She turned and sprinted into the hallway with Will and Orassa following behind as close as they could. Upon entering the front room they could see Fynnis through the open door returning fire to an unseen enemy. Beside him, Myyl lay on the ground with a pair of bullet wounds in his chest. Kay lifted her rifle and barreled through the open door to slide into cover beside Fynnis. Together, they unloaded on the guards that had begun to appear from the lower tunnels. Will and Orassa ducked down behind a desk in the prefab's entrance hall and peered over the top to watch. Fynnis dropped down and crawled toward Myyl with his omnitool active to scan the salarian. Will felt his heart sink as the turian shook his head and resumed his position beside Kay with his rifle spraying bullets down range.

"Myyl's dead," he said matter-of-factly but loud enough to be heard over the gunfire.

"Shit. Then we have to get to the  _Trueshot_  now or they'll overwhelm us!" Kay shouted as she pointed to the airlock on one of the walls of the cavern. "We landed through there!"

"Can you carry Myyl's body that far?" Will asked.

Kay shook her head. "No."

There was a brief silence among the group before Fynnis finally spoke to prevent them from wasting even more time. "He knew the risks of piracy when he joined up."

Will frowned in concern at the insinuation.

Fynnis ducked back behind cover as his weapon overheated. "We've gotta run for it."

"What about Will and his friend?" Kay called, still firing into the enemy targets.

"I can form a barrier for us!" Orassa called to them.

Kay briefly glanced back over her shoulder and nodded. "Then we're just wasting time. Come on!"

Orassa looked to Will and smiled serenely in response to his doubtful expression. "Trust me, William."

The asari jumped up and held out her hands, calling up a circular biotic barrier that extended a few feet out from her body. Will stood beside her and put his hand on her shoulder to make sure they would stay together. The two of them stepped out of the prefab and into the cavern where four or five guards had gathered to form up their attack. Will ducked instinctively as bullets struck the barrier, but were deflected by the biotic field. Orassa wasted no time and immediately set off toward the door that provided passage to the crater where ships landed when visiting the facility.

"Grenades if you've got 'em!" Fynnis shouted.

Kay nodded in agreement and the two of them grabbed the explosives on their belts. Together they primed their grenades and threw them toward the cluster of guards before turning and sprinting after Will and Orassa. The four of them reached the door at the same time, only to find it locked. Fynnis quickly set to work on the lock and found it an easy hack, forcing it open in under ten seconds. They ran into the short hallway and through the next set of bay doors that opened to the crater. Will's eyes widened slightly as they stepped into the crater he had arrived in so long ago. The same place where Janson had assured him he would die. Then, his eyes fell on their getaway vehicle at the center of the crater.

The ship looked to be about the same length as the  _Hyperion_ had been, but clearly not of human make. The angular shape indicated the ship was of turian origin, perhaps an old military corvette long retired from service. It held a similar visual design to the turian frigates Will had seen during his visits to the Citadel, but was much shorter and stockier and with more inline wings. Of special note was the red and black color-blocked paint that adorned its gray hull, almost as though it was painted with the tribal markings that turians displayed on their faces. Kay sprinted ahead of the others and up to a door that was flush with the port side of the ship. She tapped a control panel beside it and the seams of the airlock began to hiss as the door slid open. The ship was clearly not designed to load and unload passengers without a proper dock, as the door itself was far enough off the ground that all four of the group were forced to jump up and pull themselves into the airlock. Will and Orassa ducked down as guards began pouring into the landing zone, only to have the airlock door slide shut before they could lay down any fire.

"Bypass the decon sequence," Kay ordered as she slid her rifle onto her back.

"Already on it," Fynnis replied as he tapped away at his omnitool.

The inner door pinged and slid apart to reveal a hallway that Kay and Fynnis jumped into without hesitation. The pair turned right and sprinted down the hall toward the stern of the ship where a set of stairs approximately twenty five meters away ascended to the left out and of sight. Will looked to Orassa, who was still collecting herself after the extreme biotic exertion, and was waved on by the asari. He nodded and ran to chase Kay and Fynnis as they headed up the stairs. The hallway was gray and black due only to the material used, but was well lit. He passed by a few doors on his left hand side as ran toward the stairs, which given their position toward the interior of the ship, had to be some of the compartments. Will was eager to explore the ship when they were not fleeing for their lives. He reached the stairway to see it angled up sharply and grabbed onto one of the handrails as he hurried up the steps to the upper level. As he reached the top he could see an identical stairwell directly in front of him that led back down, implying a symmetry to the ship's design. However, directly to his left and toward the bow of the ship was an open door to another passage with doors on either side. At the end of the hall, however, was a large room that was clearly the operations center for the ship.

As Will stepped into the operations room he made a quick visual sweep to see around eight crew positions on the walls that appeared to be long-dormant. At the very center of the room, however, was an enormous raised, oval surface with a holographic projection of a planet, presumably wherever they were now, floating at the center. Command consoles were lined around the oval centerpiece, all of which appeared to be dormant as well. Will looked to the front of the room to see that Kay and Fynnis had taken up positions in what could only be the cockpit, with a pilot and copilot's seat surrounded by holographic monitors and a large viewport facing the bow. Will hurried toward them and leaned on one of the seats as he looked out to see at least half of the ship extending out ahead of them, placing the cockpit somewhere near the top and center of the vessel. Given the ship's sleek and streamlined appearance, however, the relatively thin hull did not obscure much of the view. All of which was irrelevant, given that the pilot would not be using the viewports for navigation, he reminded himself.

"Been a while since I've pushed this thing out of atmo," Kay muttered to herself.

Fynnis gave her a sideways glance. "Does that mean you've forgotten?"

"Maybe," Kay said with a small laugh. "Let's find out."

The ship groaned as the belly and rear thrusters ignited and pushed against the gravity of the planet. The nose of the vessel began to lift ahead of the rest as the ship rose from the surface, and upon clearing the edge of the crater, blasted forward and into the sky.

"Message is away to the Alliance," Fynnis informed them. "They should have a response team here in a day or so."

"They'd better," Will said quietly.

Kay glanced over her shoulder as Will spoke, remembering that he was present. She turned back to the control console and tapped in a few commands before sitting back in the chair and letting out an exhausted sigh.

"I'll push this thing to FTL when we're a good distance from the planet. We're probably eight hours out from Hekate System and the relay."

She rested for a few seconds before spinning the chair around and lifting a leg up to cross over the other coolly as she looked to Will. He stepped back and raised his brows expectantly.

"Will Hume," she finally said while pushing herself to her feet. "I thought you were dead and gone."

"I could say the same for you." Will looked between Fynnis and Kay. "You two okay? Leaving Myyl down there?"

"We'll live. Definitely not the first person we've had to leave behind. Or second... or third." The turian continued to work at the console in front of him and shook his head. "He's only been with us for a few weeks. And like I said, he knew the risks that come with the job."

Kay nodded in solemn agreement before turning her eyes back to Will. She slowly stepped up to him and placed a firm hand on his shoulder. She was barely an inch shorter than him. Will stared directly into her eyes and shook his head. She looked almost exactly like he remembered her from the last time he had seen her. Will closed his eyes for a moment, then reopened them only to see her still staring back. He was still waiting to wake up at any second.

"We've got a lot to talk about," she admitted.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 6**

_**Independent Space Vessel Trueshot, Pamyat System** _

Will sat down at the table in the center of the  _Trueshot_  crew's quarters and looked over to Orassa with weary eyes. They had been in space for nearly half an hour, but she had barely spoken since boarding the ship. The asari did not return his gaze and continued to stare down at the table between them with her lips pursed worriedly. To their side, on the starboard wall, the sound of a hissing pan droned while Kay tended to a cooking meal for her two guests. Fynnis had remained in the cockpit to monitor the systems as he set course for the nearest mass relay. Will had been correct in his initial hypothesis concerning the ship's layout, and had followed Kay down from the Operations Deck to the compartments at the center of the lower deck where the crew's quarters were located. They had intended to talk immediately, but the sight of the kitchenette had ignited an uncontrollable urge in Will's stomach.

"Hope you all like a quick veggie stir fry," Kay mentioned as she reached to turn off the burner.

"I don't know how long it's been since I've eaten something other than nutrient paste," Will said with a weak chuckle. "Stir fry sounds like the most incredible meal in the galaxy right now."

Kay grinned to herself as she scooped the food onto two plates and carried them to the table where they clattered to rest in front of Will and Orassa. The smell wafted into Will's nose and sent his eyes sinking shut in pleasure. All the vegetables were clearly flash-frozen at some point, but to him they might as well have been harvested two minutes earlier. Will opened his eyes and grabbed his fork, eagerly shoveling a floret of broccoli and chunk of carrot into his mouth. He desperately savored the flavor of the vegetables and sauce as he chewed and smiled wider than he had in months. Will looked up to see Orassa still staring down at the plate, motionless.

"Orassa, you okay?" He asked while reaching for his glass of, for once, clear water.

The asari closed her eyes shamefully. "We left them, William. We abandoned them with barely a moment's hesitation."

Will slowed his chewing and swallowed the bite in his mouth. He looked over to see Kay standing beside the table with her arms crossed and rolling her eyes.

"We didn't abandon them," Will countered slowly. "We disabled all the security and sent an urgent alert to the Alliance."

"We left them!" She shouted, slamming her fist on the table. "Like cowards!"

Silence fell over the three of them. Will and Orassa stared one another down as Kay shifted her eyes between the two, waiting for one to speak. After a few seconds, she cocked her hips to the side and cleared her throat.

"You think you'd be better off down there? I don't know if I'd suggest heading back," Kay said almost antagonistically.

"You've perfectly exemplified my quandary without even realizing it." Orassa turned and glared back at her. "Whether or not I'd be better off is completely irrelevant," she snapped. "My concerns are with the hundred or two others left at the mercy of a band of guards with no authority. The goddess knows what will happen to those people."

Kay averted her eyes. Will put his fork down and leaned forward slightly.

"Orassa... I understand," he admitted. "I didn't want to leave either. But we were given a chance to help them and ourselves at the same time. If Kay hadn't shown up we would have just attempted another escape in a few months. There's no guarantee that would have succeeded. And if we'd failed, we would probably have all been executed."

"That's not the point," the asari repeated. "We were in it  _together._ We should have seen it though  _together._ "

"Together doesn't mean a damn thing if you're all  _dead_ ," Kay asserted. "Who's gonna know you all stuck together if no one's left to tell them?"

Orassa shook her head and placed a palm over her eyes as a pair of tears escaped and began streaking down her cheeks. Will frowned and reached forward, placing a hand on her arm. She took in a deep breath and wiped the moisture from her eyes before opening them and looking back to him.

"We could have taken more," she said quietly.

Will shook his head. "That leaves fewer of them to fight back if the guards  _do_  try something." He glanced to his side.

The asari spoke quietly. "If the Alliance hasn't responded and sent help within eight hours... I think you should take me back."

Kay gave her a bewildered look. "Are you insane? Lady, one of my people  _died_  rescuing you two. I'm not going to just throw you back into the fire, completely outgunned, just because you've got some survivor's guilt." She shook her head and snorted. "The Alliance has teams for this. Those people will get their rescue."

Orassa frowned to herself. "Oh, goddess, I'm so sorry. I hadn't even thought about..." She drew in a deep breath to calm herself. "Thank you for risking yourselves to save us."

Kay let out sigh of relief. "Finally some damn recognition."

"And I wish I could give Myyl what he deserves," Orassa added quietly. "You're sure the Alliance will help them?"

"Listen, in my business it is very important to know how fast the Alliance, or Hegemony, or whatever is going to respond to illicit activity," Kay informed the two others. "They take this kind of stuff seriously. From what I've read, the Council is getting all huffy and puffy with the Alliance, tellin' them that colonizing in the Traverse is just asking for trouble. And just like human pride would dictate, the Alliance is doing its damnedest to prove that they're powerful and influential enough to handle themselves on the border of the Terminus."

Orassa looked back across the table to Will. "I can't help but think I've wronged them. They were all we had for so long."

"You heard Kay. They'll be alright," Will assured her. "And if the Alliance doesn't respond... we can hire a team to take that place down ourselves."

Kay seemed to show a slight bit of approval at the idea as she watched the two of them curiously. The asari turned her weary eyes back to the plate of cooling food in front of her. Will pull his arm back to his side and gave her small, encouraging smile.

"It's good. You should really eat," he said, hopefully.

Orassa nodded in reluctant agreement and lifted her fork to take her first bite. Will joined her and together they quickly consumed a good portion of their meals. After a minute or so, Will glanced over to Kay and sighed happily.

"Thanks for this, Kay. We haven't had real food for..." He trailed off and blinked. "Kay, what's the date?"

She pulled up her omnitool. "Human calendar? July 6th, 2180."

Will's grip on his fork loosened enough for it to clatter to the table as his eyes widened in disbelief. "Twenty-one  _eighty?_ " He repeated.

Kay gave him a small nod with a look of sympathy. "Yeah."

"God," he muttered quietly. "I was captured in January of '79. Over a year and a half of slavery.. _._ " Will trailed off as he stared at the table, trying to reconcile a year and a half missing from his life.

Kay nodded sympathetically before her face suddenly contorted in visual confusion. She looked between the two of them and narrowed her eyes to Will.

"Wait a second... a year and a half? Will, we were abducted from Arvuna  _nine_   _years_  ago." She corrected him.

Will looked back to her, equally confused, until he realized the misunderstanding. He opened his mouth slowly as he attempted to form words.

"Kay, I wasn't abducted that night on Arvuna. Shansa and I escaped."

For the first time since Will had come face to face with her in the mine, Kay's expression changed from tough and confident to that of stunned vulnerability. Her lips parted just slightly and her brows lifted as she stared Will down in silence. Finally, after ten seconds of remaining almost frozen, she managed to speak.

"Shansa?" She asked quietly, her eyes growing wider. "Shansa's alive?"

Will hesitated briefly. "Well, she was still okay when I was abducted a year and a half ago. Obviously, I have no idea where she is now."

Kay began to breath noticeably quicker in excitement. "We have to contact her! The second we drop from FTL we'll connect to a comm buoy!"

Will smiled to himself. "That would be wonderful."

He secretly subdued his worries about the possibility of Cerberus continuing their hunt after he had destroyed their frigate. Kay looked to the side with a joyous smile on her face. Her eyes shifted from side to side as she lost herself in thought before finally recomposing herself enough to look back to Will.

"How did you avoid capture?" She managed to ask. "I thought they had rounded up the entire colony!"

"We had been out on one of the maintenance skiffs at the time," Will answered as he popped the last piece of food into his mouth and swallowed it down with a satisfied sigh. "I'll tell you all about that later though. I think you owe me some damn explanations first."

Kay's face straightened out and she nodded in agreement. "I guess that's fair enough. Hell, I don't even know where to start. It's a long, long story."

Will looked over to Orassa with an amused smirk before turning back to Kay. "Pretty sure we've got time."

Kay grinned softly. "True. I guess I'll start at the very beginning and give you the abridged version." She turned to the refrigerator. "But first, I need a damn beer."

"I guess it  _has_  been one of those days," Will said with a small laugh.

Kay reached into the cooler and pulled out three cylindrical beverage containers. She turned around and slid the drinks onto the table while coming to sit in the chair at the end. Kay reached up and unscrewed the top of all three before sliding one to Will and Orassa. Will gladly accepted the drink while Orassa took it and smelled the drink curiously before shaking off her suspicion and downing a large gulp for her first taste.

Kay took a long swig and stared at the table as she recounted everything mentally. "I don't know how much you learned about the abduction after the fact, but I can tell you it was very thorough."

"I know a bit," Will answered. "And I know that only four members of the colony managed to escape, myself and Shansa included."

"That's four more than I thought," Kay mused bitterly. "Anyway, while we were being rounded up everyone was divided into groups that were being loaded into the three ships. My parents were separated from me then." Her voice softened. "That was the last time I ever saw them. I was put on a different ship from them shortly afterward, and I'd assumed you and Shansa were with a different group as well. The ship delivered us to a holding stations for a few weeks before me and a couple others were shipped off to a cheap-ass weapon factory where we were put to work assembling explosives. It was fucking brutal. I worked there for a year doing nothing but working on the assembly line until my fingers were bleeding every damn day."

"We know what that is like," Orassa said sympathetically.

Kay smirked and nodded. "Needless to say, I got pretty sick of it pretty fast. The whole time the guards would give me trouble for slacking or shrugging off the work, so I gave them trouble back. Honestly, I'm surprised they never did anything worse than throw a punch into my gut." She took a quick sip. "One day, after about a year of slaving there, I got so sick of the lip from this batarian cocksucker, Relgat, that I lost it and just went berserk on him." Kay looked up. "These guys didn't have any serious armor, mind you, and I started to kick his damn ass."

Will raised his brows while downing a sip of his beer. "I remember you were a damn good kickboxer in school."

"Damn straight I was," Kay boasted. "And Relgat was just some spacer chump who didn't know what the hell he was doing. Probably didn't even know how to use his gun correctly."

"I can't imagine that went well for him," Orassa surmised with a knowing smile.

"I kicked his ass.  _Hard._  So much so that some other guards grabbed me and hauled me off to face the head of the security team. I was pretty sure that I was going to die that night," Kay admitted. "When I got to the office, the guards explained what happened to their security chief and asked what they should do with me. Before they got an answer, this turian woman who had been in the room listening pushed them aside so she could talk to me. She asked me, 'What the hell is wrong with you? Do you  _want_ to die?'" Kay grinned lightly. "I answered, 'No, but if you're going to keep me locked up in this warehouse for the rest of my life, I'd rather go out beating one of these idiots to death.'"

Will raised his brows. "I don't think I could have said that in the face of my own potential execution."

"Well I was in a pretty hopeless situation," Kay explained. "And I couldn't see any possibilities to get out and was honestly pretty damn ready to die. So the turian, Drasa was her name, she was pretty amused with my answer. Said that I had some bite in me. Turns out, Drasa was the captain of the gang's ship that they used for deliveries and all that." Kay raised her hands. "That ship being the  _Trueshot_  here. She told me that I wouldn't have to work in the warehouse any longer and brought me on board."

"Wait, she let you onto her crew just like that?" Will asked, suspiciously.

Kay snorted and shook her head. "She didn't bring me on as part of the crew. I was still enslaved by the gang. I just got to work on the ship and do all the menial stuff like cleaning, cooking, gear maintenance, loading and unloading cargo. You know, the fun shit." She frowned lightly. "But the worst part was that we occasionally took contracts for slave trafficking. Had to load and unload people chained to the floor of the cargo bay sometimes. I hated it."

Orassa nodded with concern. "I can imagine so."

"When it was all said and done, I think I spent about two years as a slave on this ship. The entire time I was prohibited from contacting anyone outside of the _Trueshot_. No extranet, no comm transmitters, nothing. Once in a while one of the crew would leave a holopad on the table and I could sneak in some browsing."

Will gave her a quizzical look. "You didn't use them to call for help?"

"The first time I got hold of one I tried, but we weren't near a comm buoy." She sighed. "And then I learned that they monitored their comms closely. My attempted message was logged and Drasa gave me a hell of a talking to. But it didn't stop me from jumping on the opportunity to browse the extranet when I did get the chance. The last time that happened, around the two year mark, I was reading some news articles about the Alliance cracking down on the slave trade in the Traverse. In systems that we frequented, no less. So I told Drasa and explained that we would probably be much safer if we moved to exclusively smuggling guns and drugs." Kay shrugged and took a sip from her beer. "I just wanted to stop with the slave trafficking, but Drasa thought the idea had merit and followed through. A few days later... she asked me if I wanted to join the team. The  _actual_  team. I was a little apprehensive at first, but  _god_  did I want to be able to leave the ship. When she told me that I would get  _paid_ , it was a done deal."

"I'm surprised you didn't run the first chance you got," Will pointed it out.

Kay looked to the side and let out a troubled sigh. "It may sound strange... but I didn't want to. I didn't have anywhere to go and my shipmates had actually come to treat me well. They were basically the only family I had."

"It's not strange at all," Orassa assured her. "But why not look for your actual family?"

"I did!" She quickly objected. "I mean, on the extranet. But I never found anything. Plus, for a while I didn't have the credits to travel with even if I had found anything." Kay looked to Will. "It's interesting that no results ever came back for you or Shansa's ID numbers."

Will closed his eyes and shook his head. "It's probably because we relinquished our Human Colonial ID when Captain Nieto took us on board his ship. We were going to working in the Terminus, and its  _much_ easier to operate with an Independent Systems ID out there."

"Unfortunate," Orassa agreed. "So, you ended up sticking with the crew?"

Kay nodded. "That's right. They taught me how to use guns and all that for the situations that went south, and I was already pretty damn good at unarmed combat." She smiled nostalgically. "The next year and a half boiled down to mostly just proving myself an asset to the team. I think I did a pretty damn good job of it too. I don't mean to brag, but I could hold my own in a fight better than anyone else on that crew. Which is probably why Drasa asked me if I wanted to take over as second in command after the previous guy decided to leave the ship."

"Sounds like she almost took you under her wing," Will noted.

"She did. And I definitely trusted her. Hell, I practically  _owed_  her for getting me out of that factory I was bought to work in. Plus, she needed someone who was capable of leading the crew in a fight, and I had proven myself damn capable of that." Kay took in a deep breath and sighed happily. "Those few years were amazing. Flying across the galaxy with the crew, leading them all on raids, helping Drasa broker smuggling deals..."

Orassa gave her a curious look. "Sounds like a dangerous life."

Kay downed the last of her drink. "Oh, it was. We lost some people along the way, but things never got completely out of control." She paused for a moment. "Well, until a little over a year go."

Will waited eagerly for her to continue as Kay drew in a deep breath.

"I won't bore you with the details, not now anyway, but we had a deal go bad. A deal  _I_ arranged." Will could see the pain in her eyes. "It left damn near everyone dead. Only people who made it out were me and Fynnis, who was just a rookie at the time. Well, us and our pilot, who was still back on the ship." She looked to Will and Orassa. "As second in command, I took over the ship. All of Drasa's security was setup to transfer to me in case of an emergency. For the first time, I had access to  _everything._ "

Will nodded. "So you took over and kept the business going?"

"Barely," Kay answered, shamefully. "I couldn't just pull on a bunch of mercs to fill out the ranks. I had to know I could trust them. So we had to stick to simple smuggling or even legitimate cargo hauling to stay afloat." She paused and looked to Will. "But, one of the things that was transferred to me when Drasa died was her database of intel. There was  _tons_  of stuff in there. One category being shipping logs for past slave delivery manifests. She had so much that I quickly figured out that it wasn't just data from the  _Trueshot_. Drasa collected every damn bit of intel she could whenever we pulled off a raid and cataloged it."

"Delivery manifests," Will repeated, beginning to understand. "Like the ones with you and your parents' names?"

Kay shook her head a tiny bit. "Sadly, no. Drasa's group hadn't led the raid on our colony. They just bought some of the score, like me. I never found anything about my parents in the files." She looked to Will and smiled. "Until one day, a few weeks ago, we were dealing with some Blue Suns and Fynnis was able to steal some of their records while we were there." Her eyes shifted up slightly to wherever Fynnis would be on the upper level of the ship. "The guy's great with the tech stuff. Anyway, I saw that one of the packets he stole was a slave shipping manifest. A quick scan through found a name and description that I thought was too good to be true: William Hume. It listed where you had been delivered, so I thought at the very least I could start looking there. Turns out you hadn't left."

"You found us by happenstance?" Orassa asked with a blink of her eyes.

"Well, I always look through these manifests when we stumble upon them. And we grab a lot just through the various databases we come across," Kay explained. "And it looks like it finally payed off."

"That's a hell of an understatement," Will said with a small laugh.

Kay's eyes shifted between Orassa and Will. "So now you know my bit. Now you have to tell me what happened to you and Shansa." She sat forward eagerly. "You said something about working in the Terminus? Captain Nieto or something?"

With a deep breath, Will began to recount his and Shansa's past nine years, starting with their survival of the abduction on Arvuna. After running through their years with Captain Nieto, his death, their time as the only crew on the  _Hyperion_ , their fight against Sommesh, the partnership with the two Spectres, and the ultimate resolution of their conflict with Cerberus, Will sat back in his chair and crossed his arms.

"Then the Blue Suns dropped me off in that mine and... well, you pretty much know the rest," Will said with a small smirk.

Kay stared him down with a furrowed, doubtful brow and pursed lips. "You teamed up with two Spectres to hunt down a  _third_ Spectre, destroyed a rogue batarian black ops cell, and rammed your ship into a military frigate?"

Will shifted slightly. "Not all at the same time..."

"And Shansa's got  _three_  bullet woulds in her chest?" Kay let out a surprised laugh. "I honestly can't tell if you're fucking with me."

"If he's lying, it has been consistent since we met," Orassa chimed in with a small grin.

Kay narrowed her eyes. "You must have been laughing your ass of when I asked if you knew how to use a pistol down there."

Will chuckled and nodded. "I didn't want to bring all this up then. There were slightly more pressing issues at hand."

Kay shook her head and stood up. "I don't even know what to... I need to get some sleep."

Will and Orassa rose with her and helped to bring the dishes to the washer in the kitchenette. Kay turned back to face them, at which point all three of them looked at each others clothing.

"I need to get out of this armor," Kay said to herself, clearly tired and ready for rest. "And you two need some clothes that aren't so damn destitute."

"That would be  _greatly_ appreciated," Orassa replied with a gleaming smile.

Kay pointed to a door on the aft end wall of the room. "The bunkroom is through there. Should be some clothes in one of the lockers. If not, come find me upstairs on the Operations Deck. My quarters are on the left before you get to the operations center."

Will took a step toward her. "Kay, I can't thank you enough for what you've done for us."

He reached forward and put his arms around her to pull them into a tight hug. Kay hesitantly responded and returned the embrace for a moment before stepping back and smiling to herself.

"Willie, you don't have to thank me for a damn thing. The fact that you and Shansa are alive..." She shook her head. "I can't even believe it. Hopefully it'll finally hit me after I get some sleep."

She looked to Orassa and the two exchanged respectful nods before Kay headed through the forward end door and toward her quarters.

* * *

Will spent the next six hours relishing the freedom he had not experienced in so long. He took a hot shower in the refresher before pulling an old set of work clothes from one of the lockers and using them to replace his jumpsuit from the mines. After Orassa had done the same, the two of them quietly began to explore the ship. They found that the layout was quite simple, contrary to Will's initial suspicions. Aft of the crew's quarters and bunkroom was the engineering compartment where a large FTL core and small passageways to some of the internal mechanics could be found. At the front of the ship, however, was the large cargo bay that was at least the size of the  _Hyperion_ 's, possibly bigger. Unlike the  _Hyperion,_  the  _Trueshot_  was almost perfectly symmetrical, with parallel hallways running down the port and starboard sides of the ship on the outer walls of the crew's quarters, bunkroom and engineering compartments. It had matching personnel airlocks on either side while the cargo airlock was located at the very front of the cargo bay. Up the stairs at the aft end of the Crew Deck was, as Will had seen when they first boarded, the combat center and cockpit. At the aft end of the Operations Deck were two room that they concluded were the Captain's and XO's offices and quarters. Eventually, Kay emerged from her quarters in a set of casual clothes and found Will and Orassa in the crew's quarters resting. She brought them up to the cockpit where Fynnis had recently brought them out of FTL and was preparing to connect to a comm buoy.

"I'm guessing you don't have your omnitool records to draw from for the call," Fynnis remarked sarcastically.

"Believe it or not, they seized my omnitool at some point during my year and a half long enslavement," Will replied dryly. "But I remember two ID numbers: Shansa's and Eleena's."

Kay gave him a curious look. "Eleena? Your engineer?" She asked, recalling Will's stories of his crew.

Will nodded and stepped up to the communications console. "That's right."

"We're patched in," Fynnis informed them. "Go for it."

Will drew in a deep breath and tapped in the fifteen digit ID code for Shansa. He waited patiently as it searched for a moment before returning a red error reading "Null." He frowned and reentered the code carefully, only to be met with the same response. Kay's eyes darted to the others nervously. Will then tried Eleena's code, but was met once, twice and a third time with the same error. He shook his head and stepped back from the console.

"That... that doesn't make sense," he said slowly. "Why would it return null?"

"Is it possible that your attempt to deter Cerberus failed?" Orassa suggested cautiously.

"No... no, I'd get a different error if the ID owner was deceased," Will answered.

Fynnis looked over his shoulder. "A return of null only means one thing: the ID doesn't exist on the database."

"It has to," Will argued. "I _know_  these numbers are correct."

"Just because they existed before does not mean they still do," Kay asserted. "If you get yourself permanently removed from the ID network your number is retired too, just in case you ever need to reactivate."

Will crossed his arms. "So they intentionally removed themselves from the ID network. I wonder if they took Kallux's advice," he pondered aloud. "Before we attacked Cerberus for the final time, he suggested we lose our identities and lay low. Maybe they did so out of caution or safety."

"A reasonable guess," Orassa agreed. "But it would make more sense if you knew for certain. Perhaps you can ask your friend and see if they made contact with him before deleting their ID?"

Will shook his head immediately. "I'm not going to Kallux. There are others who would know." He looked to Kay. "Would you be willing to take us to Omega? I've got my records backed up in a safety deposit box there. I can download them to a new omnitool and look for the rest of my crew that way."

"Shouldn't be a problem," Kay answered. "Fynnis, get us on course."

The turian turned back to the nav console. "On it."

Will stared worriedly at the communications console as Kay put a hand on his shoulder. "We'll find them," she assured him. "I won't come this close to seeing my sister again and just walk away."

He smiled softly and looked over with a thankful nod. "Thanks, Kay."

"Course is plotted, we'll be at the relay in about ten minutes," Fynnis informed everyone.

Will took in a deep breath. "Good. We've got a lot more reunions ahead of us."


	7. Chapter 7

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 7**

_**ISV Trueshot, en route to Omega, Sahrabarik System** _

Will stood with his arms crossed as he stared out the cockpit viewport, his mind completely lost in thought. Being on a ship after so long would take some getting used to, but being on a ship that wasn't the  _Hyperion_  might take even longer. He frowned softly as he thought back to the ship's last moments. After the crash, the abduction and being enslaved for years, he had spent most of his time worrying about this own safety and the fate of his crew. He hadn't had much time to mourn the  _Hyperion_  itself. He shifted uneasily and tried to steer his mind toward another subject. Will glanced down toward the pilot's seat where Fynnis sat with a foot propped up on one of the consoles. The turian was clearly not focused on the ship at the moment as he looked through what appeared to be a cached set of news reports that he had picked up when they hit the comm buoy.

"Anything interesting?" Will said after gently clearing his throat.

The turian shook his head slowly. "Not to me."

Will took a step forward and sat down into the copilot's seat. "This is a nice ship. Older, but nice."

Fynnis continued to scan his monitor. "Mmmhm."

Will eyed him closely. He wasn't sure if the turian was intentionally trying to get him to leave or legitimately distracted.

"So what's your deal, Fynnis?"

The turian reached over and tapped his screen to deactivate it before turning back to face Will. "Think you could phrase that a little more vaguely?"

Will grinned slightly. "A smart-ass, huh? I see how it is."

"I've been called a lot of things," Fynnis said as he lifted his other foot up to rest with his first. "Smart-ass is probably among the most flattering." He looked to the side. "Maybe least insulting would be more accurate."

"Then allow me to rephrase that," Will began as he sat up. "How'd you end up on this ship with Kay? What's it like working with her?"

The turian's eyes looked Will over suspiciously before he reluctantly responded. "I joined the crew a few years ago when I saw a job posting for a tech specialist. Figured it would be more fun than hacking bank terminals on Omega."

"So you're the tech guy on the crew. What's your specialty?" Will inquired.

"I'm a generalist, really. Bit of comp tech, but I can also find my way around starship engineering if needed. I like to make myself useful when I can."

"And you're the helmsman as well?" Will raised a brow.

"No, not initially," Fynnis replied with a small laugh. "Our pilot survived the clusterfuck that killed most of the  _Trueshot_  crew. It was just me, Kay and our pilot for a while. He left a few months ago."

"Why's that?"

"We haven't exactly been making a fortune the past year or two. Probably thought he could do better elsewhere." The turian shrugged dismissively. "I didn't really care to find out."

Will crossed his arms. "So you've taken over as pilot since then?"

"Kay and I split the time flying. Myyl was actually supposed to take over as the helmsman," Fynnis said with a sigh of annoyance. "So much for that plan." The turian hesitated for a moment before nodding to Will. "Kay said you were a merc for a while. Do any piloting yourself?"

Will hid his satisfaction that Fynnis had warmed up to the conversation. "No flying personally. But yeah, I guess you could say my crew and I were mercs. We were actually part of a group that specialized in... well, revenge mostly."

Fynnis fluttered his mandibles in surprise. "Revenge? You've gotta give me more than that."

"Ever heard of the Red Moon Collective? It's a group of mercenaries who focus on taking contracts from those who have been wronged in some way. Usually by the bigger gangs." Will shook his head. "But the morality of the whole thing got a little blurred after a while."

The turian chuckled and raised a finger questioningly. "So you were trying to play the good guys or something?"

"Something like that," Will admitted.

"If there's one thing I've learned it's that the good guys don't last long in the Terminus Systems," Fynnis said flatly. "It pays too low and you've got too many enemies."

"It worked fine when the RMC was just a network of a few dozen people, but when we decided to organize?" Will let out a defeated sigh. "We just started bringing unnecessary attention to ourselves. All while my crew and I got shafted left and right."

"I'm sensing you had a tiny bit of a falling out with this organization," Fynnis said with narrowed eyes and a sarcastic tone.

"With their leadership, mainly. Which I was a part of, funnily enough." Will sat back in his seat. "I was kind of getting sour on the whole thing for a while."

The turian nodded and looked back to his flight controls. He tapped in a few commands before glancing over and clearing his throat.

"What do you plan to do after we find your friends?" He asked, for the first time sounding genuinely interested.

Will looked out one of the viewports and shrugged. "I don't know. Right now I'm just hoping they're all still alive."

"Pardon me, am I interrupting?" Orassa's voice asked from behind the cockpit.

Will and Fynnis both turned and looked over their seats to see the asari standing with her arms crossed formally behind her back. She was wearing a set of casual clothes that clearly belonged to Kay. The asari was much smaller than her and Kay was already a taller than average woman, but both Orassa and Will were more than eager to rid themselves of the jumpsuits they had escaped in. This left Orassa to graciously accept the baggy shirt and pants that she had been offered. Will smiled and shook his head.

"Not at all. You feeling okay?"

Orassa gave him a hesitant nod. "For now. It's still taking some getting used to." She looked around her. "Being outside of that cave, that is."

"Believe me, I know," Will said with a small laugh.

"Our course is set for Omega, yes?" The asari asked.

"That's right," Fynnis said as he looked back to the nav console. "Just an hour or two away now."

Orassa motioned over her shoulder. "William, could I speak to you for a moment?"

"Of course," Will replied as he pulled himself up.

Fynnis watched Will stand and turned back to his console to resume his reading. Orassa led Will to the back of the operations deck and down the stairs, finally coming to a stop after they had entered the crew's quarters. She looked to him with reluctant eyes as she began to speak.

"I just wanted to let you know that I will be leaving on civilian transport when we reach Omega," she informed him with more than a hint of sadness in her tone.

Will frowned softly, feeling a tinge of abandonment. "Why? Where are you going?"

Orassa chuckled lightly in surprise. "William, I have a family on Thessia that I must return to. For all I know, they think I have been dead for three years."

Will covered his eyes with his palm. "God, I can't believe I had to ask." He took a deep, cleansing breath and smiled encouragingly as he lowered his hand. "You deserve more than a cheap ride to Thessia. I'll ask Kay if we can fly you there on the  _Trueshot._ "

The asari quickly raised a hand in objection. "I have my loved ones to return to, but you have the much more difficult task of  _finding_  yours. I could not distract you from that for even a day."

"Oh come on, you're not going to be distracting me from anything. You're important to me," he argued. "I wouldn't have made it as long as I did without you to pick me up whenever I was falling."

"William," she said with a stern pause, "I did not bring this up to negotiate."

Will crossed his arms. "Are you sure?"

Orassa smiled and stepped forward to give him a gentle hug. "Your intentions are sweet, but I will be  _fine._  I assure you." She leaned back and rested a hand on his shoulder. "And I'll stay in touch, I promise."

"Good. I might need a pep talk once in a while if this search takes too long," Will admitted. "I don't know what the status of our ID will be after a few years of inactivity, but we can get some temporary codes when we pick up new omnitools on Omega."

"Whenever you need me, I will answer," she replied. "Through the hardships, the ups and mostly downs, you have been a true friend, William."

"You too, Orassa."

* * *

"Damn, it's been a long time." Will took in a deep breath. "Never thought I'd miss the stale, putrid air of Omega."

Will stood with his hands firmly on his hips as he looked down at the marketplace with Kay standing at his side. Orassa and Fynnis emerged from the docking bay airlock a moment later and joined them at the railing of the balcony.

"Always hated this place," Kay muttered.

Orassa looked over to the woman in surprise. "I don't know much about Omega, but what I've heard makes it sound as though it is a mercenary's dream. You disagree?"

"The gangs control too much of the economy for independent crews to really make something for themselves," Fynnis explained. "It's why we stick to the Traverse and less-trafficked Terminus worlds."

Will smirked. "And it sounds like that has been working out great for you, huh?"

"Hey, we were doing fine when we had more than a skeleton crew," Kay argued curtly. "We'll get back on our feet."

Will's eyes continued to float around the marketplace, hoping that by some chance he would see Shansa or Eleena shopping in a stall. After a few seconds of silence he turned to Orassa.

"Do you want to find a transport service?"

The asari smiled at the offer. "I contacted my family as soon as we were in range of the extranet probes. I have already booked passage on a flight to Thessia using some credits they transferred to me." Her thoughts were clearly beginning to drift away from their present situation. "They will be waiting to meet me at the spaceport." Orassa blinked and looked back to Will. "The ship does not leave for another six hours, however."

"Then let's find this deposit box," Kay firmly decided. "Where to, Willie?"

Will gave her a sideways glance. "Kay, you  _know_  that I hate it when you call me that."

The woman grinned slyly. "Why do you think I'm doing it?"

"Uggh. It's at a security center in the Tilno District," Will said begrudgingly. "Follow me."

The three others fell into position behind and beside Will as he guided them down from the cargo level to the market floor. Will knew precisely where they were and that the walk would only take a few minutes, leaving him to forgo the option of a cab. He took a quick glance at his companions to see Orassa looking about curiously, her eyes darting around the market. Kay was also looking around, but was clearly doing so to stay alert. It was obvious that neither of them were frequent visitors of Omega, but both seemed sure of what to do in the new environment. Fynnis, on the other hand, looked right at home. His stature was calm and collected as he strode beside Will with a cool walk. Will recalled the turian mentioning hacking bank terminals on Omega and presumed that he had spent a significant amount of time on the station.

"I must admit, this is nicer than I was anticipating," Orassa commented offhandedly. "Well, if one excuses the smell, of course."

"I can't believe you've never been here," Kay said with a laugh. "We avoid it like the plague and we still end up here at least once or twice a year. You said you were what, nine hundred years old?"

"Roughly," the asari said with a small smile.

"And you  _never_  found yourself on Omega," Fynnis reiterated.

Orassa shook her head. "I've flown through the system countless times. I've been on ships that have docked here for supplies or fuel. But I've never set foot on the station itself."

Will gave her a curious look. "Why not?"

The asari pondered the question for a moment before glancing back to him. "I suppose I was scared due to what I had heard about it. Perhaps I felt it was not dignified enough for my attention." She shifted her eyes downward. "Looking back, it was quite arrogant of me. I believe those mines might have taught some humility without me even realizing it."

"Must've done so before I showed up," Will noted. "You've never been arrogant or judgmental in the year and a half we've known each other."

"As I'm sure you're aware, being enslaved and forced to do menial tasks for over three years gives one a lot of time to reflect on their past," she reminded him.

"Damn, sounds like I need to get myself enslaved," Fynnis remarked jokingly. "I mean, it's worked out great for you three."

Kay, Orassa and Will gave him an unamused stare.

"I'm having trouble remembering all the good that came from losing a  _year and a half_  of my life and everything I knew," Will countered bitingly.

Fynnis rolled his eyes. "Calm down, I was joking."

"The wounds are fresh," Kay reminded all of them. "No don't need to poke them, Fyn. Hell, I was pretty emotionally unstable for years, even after Drasa officially terminated my slavery."

The group fell silent as Will continued to lead them onward for the next few minutes. He turned down a street and nodded ahead to a relatively blank looking building on a nearly empty street.

"This is the building," he informed them. "They might have to run a quick scan to confirm I'm actually me."

"I would  _hope_  that they have some security," Kay snorted.

Will came to a stop in front of the door and spun to face the others. "Just wait here. I'll be quick."

He turned back to the door and tapped on the panel at the center, allowing it to slide open and reveal the lobby of the discrete security center. Will stepped inside the well lit but sparsely decorated office and nodded in welcome to a man sitting behind a counter. The counter was completely blocked by thick glass and had only a few metal retracting doors that would allow the passage of goods between the two sides. Will placed his hands on the counter and leaned forward.

"I'd like to pick up a hard copy of the data I have in my deposit box," he stated.

The human looked to a terminal beside him. "Name?"

"William Hume," Will replied.

The man swiped through a few menus. "I'll need to run a bio-scan to verify your identity."

Will stepped back from the counter and turned to face a small sensor on the wall nearby. He had gone through with this procedure multiple times here already. Seeing that Will was already in position when he looked up, the guard tapped the command to initialize the scan and returned to his screen. After a brief thirty seconds the scanner chimed approvingly.

"Alright, you're clear," the man informed Will. "Data chip will suffice?"

"Sure," Will answered.

The man behind the counter rose to his feet and stepped up to a terminal on the far wall. He grabbed a blank holographic data chip from a bin on the desk and held it up as the terminal deposited his requested information. A few seconds later the man grabbed a plastic envelop and slid the chip inside before returning to the counter and placing it in front of the tiny access hatch. The small door slid open, allowing Will to grab the envelope and nod in thanks to the attendant. A few seconds later Will had emerged from the building with the envelope placed in the breast pocket of his shirt, leaving just enough sticking out so that he could glance down at any moment to ensure himself that it was still on his person. Orassa, Kay and Fynnis, who appeared to have been idly chatting, turned to face him as he appeared.

"That was quick," Fynnis mused. "This place must be  _really_  secure."

Will smirked. "They did a bio-scan." He looked down the street and sighed. "We should head to the markets so Orassa and I can buy omnitools. But first I need to find a bank terminal and see if I can still access my accounts."

"Lead on," Kay declared.

Will started off down the street once again and looked down as he sought to remember the layout of the market. If he remembered correctly there was a bank terminal two blocks up that would accept personal ID for a login. He turned down a smaller, intersecting street and looked back to see the others right behind him. However, just behind them, he could see a human eying the group and keeping at about the same pace. Will looked back ahead and he felt himself tense as a pair of batarians that had been casually leaning against a hall abruptly step out in front of the group with a pair of pistols drawn. Will, Orassa, Kay and Fynnis all came to a quick stop and watched as the human that had been tailing them ran around the group to join with the batarians.

"They just came out of the depository?" One of the batarians asked.

The human grunted. "I said that when I radioed in, didn't I?"

The second batarian held his weapon up and scanned the four. "And what did they leave with?"

"An envelope," the human replied. "Gotta be a credit chit or jewelry or somethin'."

Will had raised his hands slightly in defense. "I hate to burst your bubble-"

"Shut it," the first batarian snapped as he shoved the barrel of his pistol into Will's chest. "Give us the chit and we'll let you all walk away without a few bullets inside you."

"I don't have a fucking chit," Will answered slowly with narrowed eyes.

As one of the batarians turned to speak to the other, Will could see Kay glance over to Fynnis and nod. Within a second, the turian had prepared himself and nodded in response before the pair jumped into action. Kay reeled back and pulled in her arms as her leg shot out and slammed into the first batarian's chest. With his balance thrown off, the barrel pistol that was shoved into Will's chest tilted up and clearly out of an angle of attack. In perfect unison, Fynnis had drawn his pistol at his waist and unloaded a pair of shots into the second batarian, one striking him clear through the head, before switching targets and hitting the other with a trio of bullets. One fell to the ground, dead instantly, while the other stumbled back from Kay's kick and bullet woulds and tumbled to the ground. They turned their attention to the human who was reaching for his gun.

"Don't even think about it!" Will shouted.

The man froze with his pistol raised half-way up and stared Will down.

"Drop it!" Will ordered again.

The man hesitated for a second longer than he should have. With his hand still gripping the gun that was pointed toward the ground, Kay lunged forward. Her arms wrapped around his neck as the man dropped the pistol involuntarily and attempted to push Kay away from him. Before he could, she twisted his neck fiercely, snapping it instantly.

"Fuck!" Will's eyes widened in shock. "Kay, what the hell?!"

She panted as adrenaline surged through her veins. "He hesitated," she said through heavy breaths. "Two of us are unarmed and unarmored. Couldn't give him the chance."

"He'd stopped!" Will objected adamantly. "He was about to drop the damn gun!"

Kay stepped back and looked over her shoulder. "He hadn't moved and inch, Willie. He could have been formulating an order of attack."

"You still had the jump on him," Will argued intently as he stepped up to face her. "You didn't have to kill him!"

"So he could hold up and possibly kill someone else?" Kay snapped back. "The less people in the galaxy trying to kill me the better."

"And what about rehabilitation?" Will asked with narrowed eyes.

Kay laughed at the thought. "Who the fuck do you think is going to rehabilitate criminals on  _Omega?_  I actually try to live by the rules of  _reality_ , Will. 'Cause in here the Terminus and especially Omega, laws are whatever you want them to be and real justice is as thin as it comes."

"A-hem," Fynnis interrupted. "As  _enthralling_  as this debate is, and believe me, it's damn engrossing, I feel I should point out that this guy is still alive."

He pointed down to one of the batarians that he had shot. The thug was bleeding and whimpering quietly to himself as his two accomplices lay dead on either side of him. Kay and Will looked down at the batarian as Fynnis and Orassa came to stand beside them.

"Rggh! Just call a med-center and let's go," Kay ordered to Fynnis.

Will would have objected to leaving the man in the street, but the batarian had been shoving the barrel of a pistol into his chest when Kay jumped him. He could live with letting him sit here for a little while.

"Done," Fynnis replied as he tapped away at his omnitool.

Kay looked to Will expectantly. "Well?"

Will stared down at the three thugs, two dead and one wounded. He tore his eyes away and quickly stepped past them as he led the group onward down the alley and toward the streets ahead.

* * *

After visiting a banking terminal and finding that Will's account was closed, Kay had offered a small sum of credits to pay for Will and Orassa's omnitool replacements. They picked up pair of cheap tools from the markets and made their way to a place that Will secretly hoped he would find his crew: Discharge. As they entered the bar he looked around hopefully, but saw only strangers. The group of four headed to one of the back tables and sat themselves as Will pulled the envelope from his shirt pocket. He opened the top and pulled out the small data device as Kay waved over the waitress.

"Get me a beer," she requested as the waitress approached. "Something cheap. Whatever you've got is fine."

The asari waitress nodded and looked to the others. "Anyone else?"

With no responses, the waitress turned for the bar. Will activated his new omnitool and held it over the holographic storage chip.

"So what exactly is stored on this thing?" Fynnis asked.

"I backed up the contents of my omnitool at this place once every few months," Will explained. "I'm kinda paranoid about data loss."

The omnitool blipped to indicate the transfer of data had completed. Will took a deep breath and began to cycle through the menu.

"It's all here," he said with a thankful sigh. "Alright, contact ID..."

The waitress returned and set a glass in front of Kay. She grabbed the drink and downed a few sips as she and the others watched Will patiently.

"Here we go," Will narrated as he opened up his contacts. "Shansa and Eleena... 'ID numbers do not exist.'" He looked around the group and nodded. "So I  _did_ remember them correctly."

"And the others?" Orassa asked hopefully.

Will looked back down. "Tul'Sorrin... inactive but still on record. T'lees... nothing, just like Eleena and Shansa." He frowned and shook his head. "I hadn't backed this up at any point after meeting Welkinn or Ralliston, but Welk is dead and Ralliston... well, let's just say he might be the reason I was in that mine in the first place."

"You had other crewmates though," Orassa reminded him. "You've told me about them."

"Kallux... that's a last resort," he said spitefully. "Other than that, there's Tyrixis and Vayren. I haven't been in contact with Tyrixis since we took down Narenthus Antarian over two years ago. And Vayren is a damned  _Spectre_. He doesn't have time for me."

"What about friends outside the crew?" Fynnis asked.

"I don't really have any," Will admitted. "I spent most of my time underway, and when we were in port it was mainly for RMC business or resupplying."

"It couldn't hurt to try Tyrixis or Vayren," Kay suggested. "I mean what are they gonna do if you make 'em mad? Make you disappear?" She chuckled at her own joke.

"Ha ha," Will answered flatly. "Alright, I'll try Tyrixis." He shook his head after attempting to establish a connection. "Inactive. But Vayren..." Will raised his brows. "It says 'Ready to connect.'"

Kay took a sip of her beer and grinned excitedly. "I like where this is goin'."

Will quickly looked around the table before sending a request to the Spectre. The light blinked as "Pending" for nearly twenty seconds before a voice spoke through the tiny speaker on his bracelet.

" _Captain William Hume,"_ the voice announced.  _"It's been a while, hasn't it?"_

The sound of the salarian's voice brought a small smile to Will's lips.

"You could say that," he answered. "Though it's not 'Captain' anymore. That title went out the window when the  _Hyperion_  was destroyed."

" _I... see. It sounds as though you have had an interesting couple of years,"_ Vayren said slowly.

"Unfortunately," Will admitted. "Vayren... I don't mean to overstep the boundaries of our friendship, but I could use some help."

The Spectre paused momentarily.  _"Help? Information or...?"_

"Information," he quickly answered.

" _Yes, alright. I'm currently wrapping up some business on Yamm, if you could meet me here I'll do what I can,"_ Vayren said, almost as though he was being purposefully vague.

Will looked up to see the three others still listening intently. "Yamm? Do you really need me there? I just need some data access... maybe some security clearance or back doors into the banking system..."

The salarian chuckled.  _"Do you really think I would send that over the public info network out here in the Terminus Systems? No, we should do this in person, Captai-, er, Hume. I need to be able to verify the security personally."_

Will looked up to Kay and raised his brows as if to ask for her thoughts. She took a sip from her beer and shrugged with a nonchalant nod.

"Alright, we'll be there in a day or two," Will finally answered.

" _Good. And I'm... looking forward to seeing the rest of the team again,"_  he said with a hint of what sounded like embarrassment.

"Sadly, they won't be with me," Will informed him. "In fact, I'm counting on  _you_  to help me find them."

There was a short pause before Vayren responded.  _"Well, color me thoroughly intrigued. I'll forward you the coordinates of a place we can meet. Vayren out."_


	8. Chapter 8

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 8**

_**Sahrabarik Departure Terminal, Port 2, Omega** _

"Passengers in seating area D! That's seating area D!"

"That's me," Orassa said to Will.

A group was already forming around the attendant that was monitoring the security systems and allowing passengers to board.

"Any... any stops between here and Thessia?" Will asked.

He had never been good with goodbyes.

"No, it's a direct route," Orassa answered with a small smile.

Will nodded approvingly and cleared his throat. "Right, well. I probably shouldn't keep you."

The asari stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. He sighed and returned the comforting embrace before the two parted and looked to one another with bittersweet smiles.

"I guess you were right after all," Will said with a small laugh. "About getting out of that place."

"Confidence is a powerful tool," Orassa chimed with a wink.

"Confidence or blind faith?" Will teased.

The asari shook her head. "Please do stay in touch, William."

He shifted his weight. "I will. Promise. Now hurry up and get on that damn transport. Your family's waiting."

Orassa smiled warmly and took a deep breath. "Goodbye, William. And I pray to the goddess that you find your loved ones soon."

Will watched as the asari turned and walked gracefully to the gate attendant where she scanned her omnitool and was pointed to the boarding tunnel. His eyes shifted to the viewport where he could see the older, asari-made transport ship idling in its berth as dozens more passengers loaded in. Will could hear footsteps growing louder behind him that silenced as two figures came to a stop to his left and right, staring through the window with him.

"She seemed like a nice gal," Fynnis said as he stood to Will's right.

"Maybe a little idealistic, but hey, it's not like she's from around here so I guess I can forgive it," Kay added as she looked over to Will with a suggestively raised brow. "So, were you two 'bunkmates' back in the mines or what?"

Will, who had been looking out the viewport with a sad smile, blinked and glanced to Kay with a look of absurd dismissal. "Uggh, no! We were friends, for fuck's sake."

"Not friends for  _fucking's_ sake?" Kay jabbed with a grin.

He rolled his eyes with an irritated groan and turned for the exit. Fynnis did his best to hold back a laugh as Kay quickly hurried after him.

"Willie! Will, it was a  _joke,_ " she said with a snort of amusement.

Will let out a deep sigh and slowed down as he neared the door. Kay and Fynnis caught up with him as they stepped out into the street. She glanced over to the turian as they followed behind Will and was given a disapproving head shake as Fynnis tried to prevent her from prodding further.

"Damn it, I'm sorry, okay?" Kay finally relented.

"It's fine," Will replied quietly. "I'm just not great with goodbyes."

The three of them came to a stop at the taxi terminal and waited as a cab was hailed. Kay opened her mouth to say something else, but decided against it and bit her lip as they three of them waited in silence for the taxi to arrive.

* * *

"I've got a course plotted for Yamm, should be there in under a day," Fynnis announced.

Kay stood behind the pilot's seat with her arms crossed. "Good. I need some time to recalibrate my armor's shield network. Something got fucked up while we were down in those mines."

Will was leaning against the large table at the center of the operations center as he watched the two of them observantly. He had been listening closely since the _Trueshot_ had left its berth on Omega and the two of them had displayed a great rapport. They reminded Will of the years when he and Shansa were the only crew members of the  _Hyperion._  Kay looked over her shoulder to where Will stood and nodded to get his attention.

"You sure this guy will play ball?" She asked, clearly suspicious.

"I've got no reason to believe he won't," Will answered simply. "He's been there to help me in the past."

"Call me paranoid, but it does seem a little too good to believe," Fynnis chimed in. "I mean, a Spectre? But if you've got a past that you can lean on..."

"He'll help us. Or at least, he'll help me," Will assured them.

With the flight path locked in for the next few hours, Fynnis rose to his feet and stretched.

"Up for a few rounds?" He asked while rolling his shoulders.

Kay gave him a mischievous grin. "You want your ass kicked against so soon?"

"Practice makes... well, perfection is a long way off," Fynnis said to himself. "Let's say, competence?"

"I guess I can spare an hour or two before I dig into my armor," Kay decided. "Will, you care to join us?"

He raised a brow. "What exactly would I be joining in?"

Kay and Fynnis walked from the cockpit and past Will as they made their way to the stairs. Will hurried to catch up with them as they descended to the lower deck and into the port side hallway.

"Just some hand to hand sparring," Kay answered. "Being able to beat the hell out of someone with your fists is a damn useful skill."

"Right now I just want to be able to last more than twenty seconds against her," Fynnis mumbled.

Will smirked lightly. "She could kick my ass when we were kids. I wouldn't feel bad if I were you."

The turian laughed. "Oh, believe me, I don't. I've got no problem admitting when someone outclasses me. But if we're ever in a situation where all we've got are our fists, I don't want to be a liability."

The three of them reached the end of the hall and passed through the wide door of the cargo bay. Will came to a stop a few steps in and watched as Kay walked to a locker on the wall and pulled out a huge roll of worn, battered mats. Fynnis grabbed a second roll and the two of them quickly set out the padding at the center of the room.

"You know much about martial combat, Will?" Kay asked as she stepped away from the mat.

"Nope," Will answered with an amused smile. "I can throw a punch in a bar fight, but that's about it."

Having already removed their armor from the outing on Omega, Kay and Fynnis removed their jackets and tossed them to the side.

"I'm not an expert," Kay informed him. "And I  _know_  that I don't fight with any correct discipline, not since my last kickboxing class anyway. But I can show you how to throw a punch, kick or block a hit if you want."

Will nodded and took a few steps toward the mat as Kay and Fynnis stepped on and faced one another.

"I prefer to stay behind the sights of a rifle, but I guess it doesn't hurt to know," he answered.

Kay grinned and raised her fists as Fynnis did the same. She shifted her weight back and forth on her feet in tight rhythm as the two stared each other down. After a few seconds to sizing each other up, Kay jolted forward with a hard right-hook that Fynnis managed to block with this arm while side-stepping away. The turian and human quickly began to circle one another, waiting for the other to make the next move.

"You're gonna have to come at me eventually," Kay reminded Fynnis as she breathed heavily from excitement.

Fynnis narrowed his eyes and lunged forward with a punch aimed at Kay's jaw. Unfortunately, she effortlessly ducked the attack by dropping and spinning while bringing out a leg. The sweep caught him in the calf and dropped the turian to the ground with a thud. Kay sprung back up to her ready position briefly before relaxing and holding out a helping hand. Fynnis shook his head and grabbed the hand, pulling himself up with a small grunt.

"One day you'll hit me," she said patronizingly.

Fynnis waved a hand dismissively. "If I actually practiced for hours on end like you do-"

"But you don't!" Kay interrupted with an amicable smack to his shoulder. "I ain't complaining though. As long as you can hack the doors and security terminals I'm happy."

Will, who had been watching from the side, raised a brow challengingly. "So you're saying you don't mind being without a decent sparring partner?" He took a step forward and loosened his joints. "Scared someone might actually be able to get a hit on you if they try long enough?"

Kay eyed Will for a moment before grinning at the insinuation. "I don't want anyone wasting their time on the impossible," she shot back.

Fynnis stepped off the mat as Will took his place.

"Hah! Alright, let's give it a shot," Will said challengingly.

Will had never been a fan of fighting with his hands. The most he had done in actual defense was throw a few punches when someone tried to rough him up in a bar. But he knew that Kay lived for challenges and competition when they were kids, and that hadn't seemed to have changed. He was eager to get to know her again.

"You ready?" She asked with determined eyes.

"Damn straight I am," he answered.

Kay immediately took a few slow steps toward Will before coming to a stop just outside an arm's length. Will made a false-start forward, causing Kay to lift her arms in defense just slightly. She laughed and bared her teeth at the attempt to scare her and shouted as she sent a high kick toward Will's chest. He ducked back as quickly as he could, barely dodging her foot, and stumbled slightly to keep his balance. Seeing an opportunity, Kay jumped forward and swung at Will's jaw, only for it to be blocked by Will's forearm as he swung his right hand back in retaliation. Kay ducked the attack easily and threw a hard punch into Will's gut. He coughed and dropped to his knees with eyes wide from the unexpected hit.

"Damn, is that it?" Kay taunted as she took in a deep breath and exhaled. "I mean, I was holding back pretty hard and you still went down in less than ten seconds!"

Will laughed as he regained his breath and pushed himself up. "I know who I'm going to count on to have my back in a bar fight from now on," he complimented.

Kay smiled and gave him a pat on the back. "I've got an idea. Why don't you and Fynnis take each other on and I'll give you two some pointers."

Fynnis nodded in consideration. "Sounds a lot more reasonable to me."

Will took in a deep breath as he finished recovering and waved the turian over. "Absolutely."

The turian flared his mandibles. "I should probably warn you... turian skin is not fun to hit."

"Noted," Will smirked. "I'll aim for the parts with the least amount of... leather."

* * *

Landing on Yamm had brought back Will's memories of assaulting Narenthus Antarian's estate well over two years earlier. This visit, however, was during the dead of night. The planet had nearly a seventy hour day length, which made day and night nearly irrelevant to the way business was conducted in the colony's capital of New Karnak. The colony was only ten years old, and it showed in the very homogeneous construction of buildings and prefab units that made up the bulk of the capital. Will, Kay and Fynnis had landed and disembarked as quickly as possible, knowing that Will had already set a specific meeting time with Vayren that was rapidly approaching.

"You sure this is the right way?" Fynnis asked with more than a hint of skepticism.

Will chuckled and shrugged. "Unless this map is wrong, I'm pretty sure we're headed in the right direction."

The streets of the city were eerily repetitive, but laid out in an easy to navigate grid. Will glanced down to his omnitool to double check the map and the time. They should be just a block away, and with five minutes to spare.

"What's this place produce?" Kay asked to Fynnis.

The turian glanced over to her. "Algae, I think."

"Algae," Kay repeated. " _Why_ exactly?"

"Biofuels, mainly," Fynnis answered.

Kay let out a disappointed sigh. "So any pick-up business we might be able to jump on while we're here?"

The turian activated his omnitool. "There may be an open posting for cargo transport. I'll check it out."

"As long as the cargo isn't..." Kay trailed off. "You know," she finished grimly.

Will looked back over his shoulder to the others as they followed behind him. "As long as it isn't what?"

Kay looked up to Will and set her jaw firmly. "Slave trafficking."

Will nodded approvingly. "I assume that's one of your no-goes for jobs?"

" _The_  no-go," Kay answered. "Aside from maybe unwarranted assassination."

"And I guess you decide what's warranted?" Will asked with a smirk.

"People who hire assassins usually do so for a reason," Kay answered sarcastically. "If the target is someone the galaxy wouldn't be lesser without, why not. Someone's gonna kill them."

Will gave her a concerned look. "How can you even be certain that you'd be killing someone who deserves it? You do know that someone hiring an assassin might not be giving you the full side of the story, right?"

Kay raised a brow challengingly. "You've killed people. How do you know  _they_ deserved it? Hell, you told me that you were going to kill this Janson guy."

"That's completely different," Will argued. "Janson sold me into  _slavery_! And I only attack people who are trying to kill me."

"Mhmm, sure," Kay said with a small laugh. "I'm sure you've never popped a gang sentry with a preemptive headshot before."

Will hesitated to argue, because she might have actually been right. Either way, they had arrived at the entrance to the bar and the meeting point. Will led them up the short flight of stairs to the entrance where a welcoming door pinged and slid apart. The bar was dark, quiet and relatively empty. The perfect place for Vayren, Will thought. He stepped inside and did a quick scan of the tables before catching sight of the green-skinned salarian that he almost did not recognize at first. During their time together chasing Antarian, Will rarely saw Vayren out of his armor. Now, he wore nothing but a simple black workman's outfit. The trio casually made their way to the back of the bar where Will placed his hand on Vayren's table and raised a brow.

"Got room for a few more?"

Vayren, who had clearly seen them but had pretended to remain oblivious, shifted his gaze up to Will and smiled. "By all means."

Will grinned as Vayren rose to his feet and offered a hand in greeting, which Will gladly grasped and shook.

"It's great to see you again, Vayren," Will said earnestly.

Vayren cracked a tiny smile. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

The salarian motioned to the table and the two of them came to sit while Kay and Fynnis followed. Vayren deactivated his holopad that was sitting on the table in front of him as he eyed the two strangers. Will cleared his throat and held out a gesturing hand.

"Vayren, this is Kay and Fynnis," Will said quietly. "Kay is Shansa's older sister."

The Spectre nodded once to each of them. "And they can be trusted?"

Will looked over to the two of them. "Yeah."

"Then we shouldn't have a problem," Vayren declared as he turned back to Will. "Now, I must ask: where is the rest of your crew?"

"Like I said, that's what I need your help with," Will answered. "You remember a little over a year and a half ago when I asked for your help? I told you the crew was in some trouble and we needed priority clearance to dock at the Citadel."

The Spectre nodded. "Yes, of course. And I remember the request being rather vague."

"That's because we were being hunted, and I wasn't sure if our communications were being monitored." Will raised a brow. "Ever heard of a group called Cerberus?"

Vayren seemed rather surprised as Will spoke the name. "Certainly. They've been a growing thorn in the Council's side for a few years now. Why do you ask?"

"That's who was hunting us," he replied. "A group of them, at least."

"I can't imagine that went well," Vayren said bluntly.

Will gave him a bitter smirk. "And you'd be right. Let's just say the hunt ended with me ramming their ship with the  _Hyperion_  while the rest of the crew escaped in a shuttle."

The salarian gave him a quizzical look. "Yet you survived. How?"

"I locked in the course and tried to get out in the Kodiak, but was just a second too slow," Will answered. "It got torn in half and gave me the worst whiplash I've ever had. Dislocated a shoulder, too."

Vayren sat back in his seat and eyed Will closely. It almost looked as though he was impressed.

"And then?"

Will took in a deep breath. "I floated in the debris field for a few hours before a ship picked me up. A Blue Suns ship." His voice grew softer. "I spent the next year and a half enslaved in a labor camp."

The Spectre's eyes widened in surprise as he sat up. "You were sold into slavery? How did you escape?"

"I didn't," Will said with a laugh. "I was rescued by these two."

The motioned over to Kay and Fynnis who continued to sit in silence and simply nodded in response to their acknowledgment.

"That was less than a week ago," Will continued. "I've tried to get in touch with the crew, but all of their contact ID has been removed. Well, except Kallux and Tyrixis."

"Tyrixis has been a concern of mine since we killed Narenthus Antarian," Vayren admitted. "She was displaying severely abnormal behavior so I kept an eye on her until she eventually dropped off the grid, so to speak. I wouldn't expect to find her unless she wants to be found. But what about Kallux? He cannot help you?"

Will averted his eyes. "Kallux is part of the reason I'm in this situation to begin with," he muttered bitterly. "When I asked for the RMC's help he told me I was on my own. His advice was to fall off the radar and lay low for a few  _years._ "

"Ask the risk of being inflammatory, what else could he have done?" Vayren inquired.

"The RMC is militarized now!" Will blurted out angrily. "He could have brought the entire group to combat readiness and hit Cerberus hard and fast. Just the crew and I alone managed to inflict heavy casualties on them."

The salarian paused as he considered the phrasing for his next question. "Hume, I don't think there is much Kallux could have done. Cerberus is larger than you might think, and  _certainly_  more powerful than whatever the Red Moon Collective has become."

Will clenched his fists. "He  _owed_ me, Vayren." His voice was strained. "We were supposed to be able to count on each other."

The table was silent for a few seconds before Vayren finally shook his head. "There's nothing that can be done about it now, Hume. And if he is really your last resort, I'll see what I can do for you now. What is it you wanted access to?"

"I just want to see how and when the ID numbers for the crew were deleted," Will answered weakly. "My bank records as well."

Vayren nodded and looked down to his tablet. He activated the screen and began tapping through a few menus. After a minute or so of work he glanced up to Will.

"Do you have the ID numbers?"

Will nodded and activated his omnitool as he stepped over to Vayren's side. The salarian looked over and copied each of the numbers down with incredible speed before nodding in thanks. After another minute of authorization verification, the tablet blinked to display the results from Vayren's search.

"This is interesting," he commented. "All of the ID numbers were deleted within a day of each other. And the action seems to have been done by the ID holder in each case."

Will looked to the names and frowned. Shansa, Eleena, Tul'Sorrin, T'Lees and Ralliston, all removed from the database roughly two weeks after he had been captured. He looked down to his omnitool and pulled up his banking account number.

"Can you check my account? It was closed when I tried to get into it on Omega," Will asked.

Vayren quickly brought up the information and held it out for Will to see. All but five hundred credits had been transferred to a credit chit at approximately the same time that the ID numbers had been deleted. A year later his account had been terminated due to inactivity.

"Shansa's the only one who had full access to my account," Will mentioned to Vayren. "She's the only one who could have withdrawn all of that."

"Sounds like she's okay then," Kay said hopefully.

Will looked over and nodded. "At least for a few weeks after I was captured, yeah."

Vayren looked up. "Is there anything else?"

Will closed his omnitool and shook his head. "Not that I can think of. I don't know where they are and I can't get in touch with any of them."

Fynnis cleared his throat. "I know you're not keen on the idea, but it sounds like you've only got one option left, Will."

Vayren nodded in agreement. "Kallux might be your only chance now, Hume. If he suggested that you and the crew, as you said, 'disappear' it's possible he helped the others do so after they believed you were killed."

Will dropped back down into his seat and closed his eyes. If there was one thing he didn't want, it was to crawl to Kallux in search of help.

"I... I guess I don't have any other options at this point," Will admitted quietly.

Kay raised a brow. "Where is this guy?"

"The RMC headquarters is on Omega," Will answered. "Assuming the Collective is still standing."

"Then we'll head back," Kay assured him. "We'll find them, Willie."

Will sighed. "Sure." He looked up to Vayren and smiled. "Thank you so much for the help, Vayren. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

The salarian crossed his arms. "Actually, Hume, I have one last question for you. Do you think you'll need more assistance on this?"

"It's possible. It depends on what I learn from Kallux," Will replied worriedly. "Why? I'm not... asking too much of you, am I?"

Vayren shook his head. "No. In fact, I was wondering if you might allow me to join you and help."

Will blinked in disbelief. "Are you serious? Don't you have Spectre business to attend to?"

Vayren sighed softly. "I've been on duty non-stop since I received my Spectre appointment over three years ago. I just wrapped my operation here and I've been considering taking a short bout of R&R."

"You know the R's stand for 'rest' and 'recuperation,' right?" Will asked with a chuckle.

The salarian smirked. "If I can take a small break from Spectre work without having to go to a damned vacation resort I will be satisfied." He let his lips fall into a small frown. "I don't have any family left these days and the only friends I've got are deep in STG business. Helping you find your crew seems like a nice way to unwind for a few weeks."

Will looked over to Kay and Fynnis. "As long as these two don't mind, I'm sure you're welcome."

Kay and Fynnis shared a quick, slightly nervous look before she responded. "As long as you don't go poking around the operations records in the ship..."

Vayren grinned. "Let's consider this a cultural learning opportunity in case I need to infiltrate a Terminus gang at some point."

"They're exaggerating," Will assured him. "They're mainly just cargo haulers like Shansa and I were on the  _Hyperion._  With maybe a tad more smuggling."

Kay and Fynnis shared a second concerned look before the turian responded. "Uhh... yes. Precisely. Let's say that's spot on."

Vayren gave them an amused chuckle. "Come on now, I'm a  _Spectre._  I can let whatever petty crimes you've committed fly under the radar. I'm typically more concerned with the kind of crimes that threaten galactic stability."

"Oh! In that case, you've got nothin' to worry about," Kay said bombastically. "No threatening of galactic stability on  _our_  ship, that's for damn sure."

Will shook his head as they rose to their feet. "You're really selling the act, Kay."

"Now we just have to hide that nuke we were going to use to assassinate the Council and we're set." Fynnis declared with almost too much dry sarcasm.

With a small laugh, Will turned and began walking toward the door with the others in tow. "Come on then, we've got a backstabbing krogan to visit."


	9. Chapter 9

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 9**

_**ISV Trueshot, en route to Omega, Sahrabarik System** _

Will had been staring through the viewport in front of him for almost an hour now. Through it he could see the arcing and shifting energy that was contained in the FTL core of the  _Trueshot._ He had caught himself staring at a drive core or piece of machinery more than a handful of times over the past few years. Something he chalked up to Eleena's innate interest in engineering and their frequent melding of minds. This core was significantly larger than the  _Hyperion's_ had been, but this was also a larger ship and had been built by turians. They had had hundreds of years to hone their mass effect technology as well as access to all the collective galactic knowledge they could hope for. The  _Hyperion_  had been built before humans even made first contact. He shrugged off his thoughts of the old, long-destroyed ship and tried to clear his mind as he stared into the core.

"Am I interrupting something?" Kay asked in an amused tone.

He blinked and looked to the side where Kay stood in one of the doorways with her arms crossed and eyes wandering curiously.

"I was just thinking," Will finally answered.

Kay raised a brow. "Yeah? What about?"

" _Who_  about, actually," Will corrected. "Just... the people we're looking for."

She took in a deep breath and nodded in understanding. "Ah. Gotcha." Kay motioned over her shoulder. "You know, Fynnis, the Spectre and I were having a drink the mess if you wanna join."

Will stared into the core for a few more seconds before smirking lightly as he finally turned away. "His name is Vayren. I don't know if he'd appreciate being called 'the Spectre.'"

Kay grinned and urged him to follow with a beckoning finger. He sighed passively and followed after her as she led them into the starboard hallway and up to the door leading into the crew's quarters. Fynnis and Vayren were sitting at the table, each with a drink in front of them and a third set by an empty chair. Kay retrieved a fourth drink and held it out to Will, who grasped the bottle and sat down with the others. Vayren was sitting up in his straight posture, as usual, while Fynnis leaned back in the chair with a hand resting on the table. Kay sat down in the empty chair at the end of the table and looked toward Vayren.

"So ya like the ship?" She asked proudly.

Vayren nodded in approval and took a small sip of his drink. "I do. It is much more than I was expecting." He glanced over to Will. "I was anticipating something more in line with the  _Hyperion._ "

Kay shook her head and smiled. "Nope, the  _Trueshot_ here is a grade-A turian warship."

Fynnis snorted slightly. "Maybe seventy years ago. And if its gun batteries still functioned."

"They don't?" Vayren asked, surprised.

"They've been... out of commission for a little while now," Kay answered hesitantly. "We haven't exactly had the creds to get them fixed up."

"Sounds like something Eleena would love to get her hands on," Will mentioned with a soft smile.

The salarian took a small sip. "How did you acquire this vessel? As you said, it is a turian warship."

"It kind of defaulted ownership to me after our captain and most of the crew was killed," Kay answered. "As for how Drasa got it? Heh, that's a much longer story that I don't know if I feel comfortable telling given our present company."

"Funny, I came in possession of the  _Hyperion_  the same way you did the  _Trueshot_ ," Will added with a bittersweet shake of his head.

"Hmm. And how was the rest of the crew killed?" Vayren pursued.

Will wasn't sure if the salarian was genuinely interested or attempting to judge the moral character of the two strangers. Perhaps it was both.

Kay nodded and sat forward. "I kinda dodged the longer story when Will first asked me, but I guess we've got time." She took a big swig of her drink and looked around the table. "It was a little over a year ago. I had put some feelers out on Drasa's account, she was our captain, saying that we were looking to offload some... chemical cargo at a reasonable price. I got a few responses from an Eclipse cell out in the Traverse and we setup an exchange. In hindsight I should have been a little suspicious that they didn't even try to haggle on the price per unit."

"What exactly were you trying to sell?" Vayren asked straightly.

Kay looked to the salarian and met his challenging gaze before responding. "Sinaxx. It's a narcotic."

The salarian nodded slowly in consideration. "I see. Please, continue."

"There were seven of us on the crew at the time. Me, Drasa, our pilot Salnor, our engineer Francis, two deckhands named Talsus and Venterius, and of course, our brand new recruit by the name of Fynnis Cortillian." Kay gave the turian a sideways glance and grin.

Fynnis took a sip of his drink and sighed. "Yep. It was only second or third away mission, too."

Kay nodded. "That's right. I agreed to their condition that the meeting would occur in this old, abandoned asteroid mining station, neutral ground and all that."

"I know this story goes wrong eventually," Will pointed out.

"Yes it does," Kay replied with a hint of sadness. "We docked and headed into the main assembly area for the facility. It was all six of the ground crew and just our pilot back on the ship. The assembly area was a fucking wreck. This place had been abandoned for centuries and was clearly nothing but a place for seedy folks like ourselves to butt heads. But, the Eclipse showed up with only six people as we'd agreed, so I didn't think anything of it. Luckily, our turian friend here was less than convinced."

Fynnis flared his mandibles and leaned back coolly. "I'd overseen enough gang meetings on Omega go awry to know when something didn't feel right. And something felt damn wrong about that place. I brought up my omnitool while Kay and Drasa were first meeting with the Eclipse contact and tapped into the _Trueshot_  to load up some of its sensors remotely. Hit me like a slap in the face." He took a quick sip of his drink. "The ship's security was already being compromised. I called Kay over, since Drasa was working on the deal, and pointed it out."

"I knew shit was going down the second he told me," Kay continued. "Off a hunch, I switched my helmet's optics to thermal and did a quick scan." She shook her head. "At least four snipers were perched around the upper level of the room lining up shots. Stealth field generators."

"I'm surprised they had ready access to that kind of technology," Vayren commented.

Kay nodded in agreement. "Me too. But it's not like the cloaking systems were top of the line or anything. They didn't even hide thermal emissions."

Will took a large gulp from his drink. "So? What happened?"

"I was already sure a fight would break out, so I grabbed my gun and got close to cover," Fynnis answered. "Luckily I was already near the back of the group. Kay, on the other hand..."

"I was running back up to Drasa," she finished. "By the time I reached her, the Eclipse had already realized that Fynnis and I were aware of the danger." Kay averted her eyes. "Their snipers opened fire without warning. Two shots went straight into Drasa's chest. The first took out her shields, the seconds tore her chest wide open."

The group sat in silence as Kay took a long drink before speaking again.

"The Eclipse lieutenant that we were dealing with had still been faking the diplomatic intentions, so he was just pulling out his weapon when his men opened fire. I jumped forward, punched the gun out of his hands before he could raise it, and wrapped him in a nelson hold. The rest of our team was already firing at the Eclipse, so I just started backpedaling to keep the Eclipse lieutenant between me and the snipers." She shook her head. "I yelled for everyone to run, to get back to the ship, but Fynnis was the only person close enough to the exit. If I hadn't had their officer acting as a human shield between me and the Eclipse, I'd have been dead too."

"None of the others made it?" Vayren clarified.

Kay nodded solemnly. "Yep. They got overwhelmed in no more than a minute."

"And the Eclipse officer?" The Spectre inquired.

Kay remained silent for a moment. "I got out of the central chamber with him and wanted nothing but revenge. So I told Fynnis to overload the lieutenant's shielding and shot the son of a bitch in the fucking head."

The group remained silent for a few long seconds. Will looked over to see Vayren eying Kay closely. He wasn't quite sure of the Spectre approved or not, but Vayren certainly wasn't doing so openly. Instead, the salarian simply watched with stoic eyes as Kay stared down at the table lost in the memory of the moment.

Will shrugged. "Probably deserved it."

"There's no 'probably,'" Kay quickly objected as she looked up to him. "The Eclipse are the scum of the galaxy."

"I don't know, the Blue Suns aren't much better," Will muttered.

Vayren looked between the two of them. "Sadly, I can assure you that there are far more dangerous groups."

"I didn't say they were the most dangerous," Kay corrected him.

"Fair enough," the salarian relented. "So you then took over the ship?"

"Yeah. I found out as we were making our escape that Fynnis had been multitasking the entire time to keep the Eclipse out of the  _Trueshot_ 's network. Apparently they were trying to lock down the drive systems. Probably wanted the damn thing for themselves," Kay spat angrily.

"Or, you know, the crates of sinaxx in the cargo hold worth nearly half the value of the ship itself," Fynnis added sarcastically.

Kay gave him a joking glare. "Either way, smart ass, I was pretty damn impressed. You got yourself promoted from fresh meat to full crewmate that day."

Will smiled as he finished off his drink and looked over to Vayren. "So I've gotta ask, what have you been doing the past few years?"

Kay and Fynnis both perked up at the change in subjected. Will suspected it was both equal parts interest and relief that they were no longer under the scrutiny of the Spectre.

"You know I can't answer that question," Vayren replied regretfully. "Not in great detail, at least. I will simply say that I have been busy. I have been involved with quite a few situations that I would not have expected to see in my days."

"That's obvious," Will chuckled. "I'm in one of those situations right now. When we were looking for Antarian I would have never imagined that we would sit down and chat over a beer."

The salarian gave him a curious look. "Why do you say that?"

"Well, don't take this the wrong way, but you're a pretty 'down to business' kind of guy," Will answered cautiously. "At least, you were when we traveled together a few years ago."

Vayren considered the thought for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Since I earned my Spectre commendation I have worked almost exclusively alone. I suppose I've come to miss the comradery of the STG."

"Are you saying that you actually enjoyed spending time with me and the crew?" Will asked with a small grin.

"I certainly didn't mind it," Vayren answered plainly. "But we had an important mission and I had to remain professional. Now?" He took a sip of his drink and sighed contently. "I'm on vacation."

Fynnis snorted. "I hope I don't get to the point where my vacations involve packing state of the art weaponry and armor."

"I don't entirely anticipate using them," Vayren pointed out. "But it never hurts to be prepared."

* * *

"I really don't want to do this," Will said quietly.

He stared across the street to the nondescript mechanic shop that housed the entrance of the RMC's relatively hidden headquarters. Beside him, Vayren stood fully equipped in combat gear and weaponry. The very idea of Omega had been enough for him to plan for the worst case scenario. Kay and Fynnis were back on the ship, as Will had been unsure if he would be able to get them into the Collective's headquarters. However, given his former position with the group and the fact that Vayren was a Spectre, Will was fairly certain that the two of them would not have much difficulty gaining entrance.

"I don't believe you have any other options," Vayren pointed out. "Other than giving up, of course."

"I said I didn't want to," Will reiterated. "Not that I wasn't going to."

Will took a calming breath and stepped into the street, moving around the foot traffic that passed by in either direction. He reached the door and stepped inside with Vayren on his heels. Will tapped on the control panel just inside the door and waited for a response.

" _State your business."_

"I'm here to see Kallux," Will answered. "Name's William Hume. I used to be a member of the RMC."

" _William Hume... one second."_

"They seem a tad suspicious," Vayren pointed out.

"They should be," Will reminded him. "They think I'm dead."

A few seconds later a large set of doors in front of them began to slide apart to reveal the security checkpoint of the Collective's headquarters. Will and Vayren were immediately met by a group of four RMC soldiers with their weapons cautiously held at the ready.

"There's only two of them," one of the turian guards reported over his comm.

"I could've told you that," Will muttered irritably.

"Are you really Will Hume?" The turian asked.

Will shrugged. "You need a fucking picture to check?"

"Hey, according to the records you've been MIA for nearly two years," the guard pointed out. "Jackson, grab me the scanner."

One of the human RMC soldiers ran back toward the checkpoint to retrieve a tool as Will crossed his arms and waited.

"Can't be too certain," the turian reminded him.

Will sighed. "Whatever."

The human, Jackson, approached with an active bio-scanner and held it up to Will's eyes. "I need a retinal scan."

The device beeped a few seconds later. The human looked over to his turian superior and nodded.

"Matches our records, sir."

The turian let out a small laugh of disbelief. "Damn." He shook his head and stepped forward with an extended hand. "Welcome back, Captain Hume. Sergeant Bratus."

Will pushed aside his lingering anger for Kallux and shook the guard's hand. He had no grudge against this man or anyone else serving with the RMC.

"Thanks. But it's not 'captain' anymore," he informed him.

"I'm sure you'll have your rank reinstated," the Bratus assured him.

Will pulled his hand back. "I'm not here to jump back into the ranks. I just need to talk to Kallux and I'll be on my way."

The sergeant nodded. "I see. Well, I'm certainly authorized to let you in, but I'm going to have to run the full procedure on your friend here."

Vayren crossed his arms. "I would rather not."

Bratus put on a diplomatic tone. "Sir, it's simply a standard scan. And I'll need you hand over your weapons... all of them."

"No, he doesn't," Will said firmly. "He's a Spectre. One of the two that Kallux and I served with a few years ago."

"A Spectre?" The turian paused before letting out a defeated sigh. "Yeah, okay. But if he pulls out any of those weapons..."

"I have no reason to harm anyone here," Vayren assured him. "In fact, I find your organization to be quite an admirable endeavor."

Will kept his dissenting and cynical response to himself. "So are we clear to head in?"

Sergeant Bratus nodded and stepped aside. "Jackson, disable the security alarms so they can pass through."

Will and Vayren were escorted through a large, inactive body-scanner and into the main hall of the RMC headquarters. The building looked exactly as Will remembered it, but he felt nothing but a growing resentment as he turned down the hall that led to Kallux's office.

"I wasn't expecting such a robust facility," Vayren admitted.

"All this came together after our time with you and Corsin," Will informed him. "After that mission, Kallux decided that the RMC had too much wasted potential and pushed for some actual structure and unification."

Will furrowed a brow as he stopped at the door to Kallux's conference room and office. The panel was red, indicating that there was a meeting in progress. He tapped the button at the center, hoping it would open the door, but was met with a negative buzz.

"Vayren?" Will asked as he stepped aside.

The salarian smirked and raised his omnitool. The Spectre cracked the door's lock as though it was nothing, allowing Will to press his finger to the panel once again. This time, however, the door pinged agreeably and slid apart. He looked straight ahead to the conference table where a familiar female salarian and elcor stood around the table across from Kallux as he pointed to a few points on a holographic map at the center.

"No, they're simply not a threat now, but the  _Eclipse-_ "

Will watched as Kallux's voice stopped on a dime as he noticed the door had opened and looked to his side. The krogan straightened up and turned to face Will and Vayren with his mouth slightly agape.

"Hume?" He blinked and looked over his shoulder. "And Agent Vayren?"

"That's right," Will answered as he stepped into the room.

Kallux shook his head slowly. "I don't... Ralliston said you were dead."

"I can understand how he came to that conclusion," Will responded as he came to a stop at the side of the table. "But he's wrong."

Will had never been good at reading the krogan's emotions, but he was sure that he saw genuine happiness in Kallux's face. The krogan looked to Malylen and Orrat and motioned toward the door.

"Please, give us a minute," he asked.

The salarian looked as shocked as Kallux, but nodded in agreement and quickly made her way to the door. The elcor, however, simply turned and slowly followed her out. Vayren stepped to the side and let them pass before closing the door behind them. Once they had left, Kallux took a step toward Will with his eyes looking the man up and down as though he was afraid they would find something out of the ordinary. Something to give him a hint as to how Will might be alive, or that he was somehow being tricked.

"How?" The krogan finally asked.

"Who told you about what happened?" Will asked.

Kallux continued to stare him down. "Ralliston. I haven't spoken to any of the others since you disappeared."

Will nodded. "What did he tell you?"

"He gave me a full debriefing of your final attack," Kallux responded, his mind finally starting to catch up with what he was seeing. "He told me that they found thewreckage of the  _Hyperion_  and another ship cluttered together. They assumed you had rammed it to give them a chance to escape."

"They assumed correctly." Will crossed his arms. "So they found the wreckage?"

Kallux nodded. "Yes, Ralliston said they made it back to the debris field no more than twelve hours after the collision."

Will smirked lightly. "Well no wonder they didn't find me. A ship found me after only a few hours. A Blue Suns ship." He paused and took a small breath. "They dumped me in a slave labor camp where I stayed until a little over a week ago."

The krogan stood nearly frozen in place. "Are you saying-"

"I was there for about a year and a half, yeah." Will clenched his fists involuntarily.

"But you're alive," Kallux said quietly. "Damn, you're  _alive,_ Hume!"

The krogan smiled and took a step toward Will with an outstretched hand. Will stood firm and stared him down until Kallux slowly lowered his arm and ruffled his brow.

"I'm alive," Will repeated. "But I lost a year and a half of my life. I lost my ship. And my crew, my friends... I don't know where they are or if they're okay." He took a step toward Kallux and pointed to him. "And you know who I have to thank for that?  _You._ "

Kallux narrowed his eyes defensively. "Me? Hume, are you crazy?  _You_  launched that suicide mission against Cerberus, not me! If you had listened to me and dropped off the radar-"

"Then what?" Will interrupted. "They'd still be out there looking for us! And we'd all be in hiding for what, five years you suggested? We damn near took them out on our own, Kallux! If you and the rest of the RMC had been there with us..."

The krogan snarled. "This again?" He spun and stomped a few steps away. "I have the welfare of this entire organization to think about, Hume. I can't compromise that. Not even for you."

Behind Will, Vayren stepped closer and cleared his throat. "I don't believe we came here to argue," he salarian said firmly.

Will and Kallux both looked to the Spectre in surprise, having almost forgotten he was present. Will nodded in agreement and glanced back to the krogan.

"He's right. The only reason I'm here is to find my crew. All their ID numbers have been wiped and I've got no leads." He sighed and looked to he side defeatedly. "But it sounds like you don't know what became of them either."

Kallux frowned and leaned against the table. "I don't. I'm sorry, Hume." He turned to face them. "And there's only one person I know of who might: Ralliston."

"Perfect," Will muttered sarcastically. "And I see you just let him back into your ranks." He turned Kallux and laughed. "If you knew what that son of a bitch did-"

"I know," Kallux interrupted sternly. "I know everything. He came to me after you disappeared and admitted to betraying you and the rest of the crew. And then he told me about what you did to save him on the Citadel. How you and Eleena stayed in a damn clusterfuck to help him." He let out a pained sigh. "He's practically a kid, Hume. He'd never had people he could depend on like that."

"A kid? He's been running with gangs since he was a teenager!" Will objected sternly. "He's not an innocent little flower."

The krogan shook his head. "I'm not saying he is. I'm saying he never had people who he could truly trust until he served with you. It's just a damn shame he didn't realize it until after he had a hole blown through is stomach." Kallux looked to the side. "I've never seen a man with more guilt and regret."

Silence descended over them as Will tried to collect his thoughts. He hadn't planned on this reunion being as heated as it was, and he should have anticipated it. But Vayren was right. He didn't come here to argue.

"So... you think he can help me find them?" Will finally asked.

Kallux reached for his holopad and began searching through a list. "Maybe. But if the rest of your crew knew that Ralliston betrayed them, they've probably kept their distance from him as well."

"But he might know why they all wiped their ID numbers," Will hoped aloud.

"Well I can tell you why he wiped his," Kallux said as he read over his tablet. "Ralliston is working as an infiltration agent."

"I believe the word you're looking for is 'spy,'" Vayren quipped.

Kallux nodded in agreement. "He's currently embedded with the Eclipse on Illium to gather intel for our possible expansion to that system." He lowered the holopad and motioned toward Will's wrist. "I sent you his last known location. Obviously we're not in frequent communication, but he shouldn't be far from there."

Will activated his omnitool and looked over the file Kallux had sent. He nodded to himself and shifted his eyes back to the krogan.

"Thank you," he managed to say.

He turned to leave with Vayren following close behind. Kallux cleared his throat as he placed the holopad on the table.

"Good luck, Hume. If you need any help..."

Will glanced back over his shoulder and gave Kallux a single nod of acknowledgment. Together, he and Vayren began the walk back to the entrance of the facility and the exit.

"I didn't know you were on such rough terms with Kallux," Vayren commented offhandedly.

"The fact that he thought we would be buddies after what he did to us was enough for me to wanna punch him in the gut."

The salarian gave him a skeptical glance. "Hume, he did what he thought was right as a leader. You should know that sometimes tough decisions have to be made. I imagine that he would never  _want_  to abandon you."

Will shook his head. "This damn Collective came between us watching out for each other. I'm not going to put myself in a position to be betrayed like that again."


	10. Chapter 10

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 10**

_**ISV Trueshot, in orbit over Illium, Tasale System** _

" _Should have a berth in just a few minutes,_ " Kay called over the ship's intercom.

"Good thing there was a delay," Fynnis commented. "Because this firmware is being a bastard."

Will glanced over his shoulder to watch as the turian stood behind him working on his omnitool. The turian was attempting to finish connecting Will's suit of armor into the battle network that he and Kay shared. Unfortunately the suit was rather old and had not been given to them in a state that would allow for easy modification. Will looked down as he crossed his arms and eyed the armor plating around him. It was painted red and silver, the colors of the Red Moon Collective. After coming to the realization that he was still without any gear, he bitterly requested a set of armor and a weapon from the RMC's armory. Thankfully, Kallux had authorized the loan after being called by the quartermaster, and without having to question Will about it.

"You're not instilling me with a lot of hope for this armor," Will muttered only semi-jokingly.

"Eh, it'll hold together," Fynnis assured him. "I ran a quick diagnostic on it. It's not top shelf, but it'll keep your organs in close proximity. For a little while, at least."

"I can feel my concern just floating away," Will remarked sarcastically.

He looked over to a workbench on the wall of the cargo bay to see the rifle he had requisitioned laying at the center. Picking up the borrowed M-15 Vindicator from the RMC had been surprisingly difficult. He had come to terms with everything he had lost when the _Hyperion_ was destroyed, but being reminded of his father's rifle pained him deeply. It had been the last physical thing he had of his father's and it was undoubtedly obliterated as it sat in the armory when the ship was destroyed.

"Alright, you should be good to go," Fynnis declared as he stepped to Will's side with a confident nod.

"No other complications?" Will asked.

He stepped over to the workbench and retrieved the rifle before stowing it on his back.

"Only a few glaring deficiencies in the armor's structural integrity. Nothing to worry about."

"Thanks," Will replied with a smirk. "We should probably head up to the cockpit and make sure everything is going smoothly," Will suggested as he turned for the door.

"That and make sure the Spectre hasn't arrested Kay," Fynnis said with his usual unflinching sarcasm. "He's going to do it eventually. He's probably itching to do it as we speak."

The two of them passed through the door to the hallway and hurried toward the stairs near the aft end of the ship that would take them to the upper level.

"He's not going to arrest her," Will said both to assure Fynnis and himself. "I mean, as long as she doesn't do anything  _really_  bad in front of him."

Fynnis laughed as they headed up the stairs. "Oh, then we've got nothing at all to worry about! It's not as though we make a living doing things that are generally considered 'bad' by the median moral consciousness."

"You're not helping your case," Will reminded him.

The two of them took the final step to the operations deck and turned down the small hallway past the officer's quarters to their left and right. Straight ahead Will could see Kay sitting in the pilot's seat with her fingers drumming impatiently on a wall panel as Vayren stood behind her with his arms held behind his back. Will and Fynnis approached quietly and came to stand on either side of the Spectre to see an idling comm channel blinking on one of the cockpit screens.

"I thought you said we'd be docked in a few minutes," Will jabbed.

Kay groaned. "If the fucking  _port_  would hurry up we would-"

She stopped as the comm channel turned from orange to green.

" _You are cleared for docking,_ Trueshot.  _Proceed to docking bay 4-9."_

"Thanks, inbound now." Kay rolled her eyes in irritated relief despite her amicable response.

" _You will be met by a port representative, please prepare any relevant immigration or declaration documents."_

Kay leaned forward and ignited the thrusters as she pointed the nose of the ship toward the surface. "You got it."

She reached over and placed a few commands into the navigation panel as the ship began its descent.

"I'm surprised they approved us to dock so quickly," Vayren commented.

Kay looked over her shoulder. "We've been here dozens of times. They've probably got everything they need on us on file already."

Will raised his brows. "Really? I've only docked here once or twice, and that was just for a quick cargo drop. What kept you coming back here?"

"Lots of business," Kay replied as she turned back to the flight controls. "Back when I was still just a slave on the ship we'd make actual legitimate runs delivering indentured servants to and from the planet. Looked good to have some official business on the books in case the ship was ever investigated."

"Hmm. I can't imagine you do that anymore."

"Fuck no," Kay assured him. "But there's always plenty of... uh, cargo, that needs hauling. Merc jobs on occasion."

Will looked through the forward viewport as the ship began to level out over the outskirts of the city they were set to land in. While the Citadel and Illium were both impressive, Illium was a different kind of beauty. Illium was mesmerizing. The colors of the sunset mixed with those of the superstructure skyscrapers were bold and dazzling. Those colors combined with the elegant and sometimes odd shape and design of asari architecture created a sight that Will couldn't help but be entranced by. Kay monitored the mostly automated controls as they brought the ship through its traveling lane and in position to float gently into the massive spaceport. The docking armatures automatically assumed control and wrapped themselves into position on the ship's hull, locking it into place just as the  _Trueshot_  slid into its berth.

Kay jumped to her feet and immediately stepped past the others. "C'mon, slackers."

Will, Vayren and Fynnis turned and hurried to catch up with her as she led them down the stairs to the port side of the ship where the airlock had been lined up with the docking ramp. The four of them stepped into the airlock and waited as it swiftly cycled the atmosphere and opened the outer door to the ramp suspended hundreds of feet above the surface of the planet. Will and Kay stepped out first, followed by Vayren and Fynnis.

"Damn, I forgot how hot this place is," Will muttered.

"It's actually rather cool now that the sun is setting," Vayren noted.

"Remind me not to step outside at noon," Will replied with a laugh.

Together the group took a few steps toward the end of the docking ramp and door that led inside, only to see it open as an asari strolled out with a datapad in her hand. They slowed their pace as the asari approached them confidently and gave them a corporate smile.

"Good evening, welcome back to New Estrana," she greeted. "New passengers with you?"

Kay was clearly not happy with the information they had stored on her. "Two new ones, yeah."

"I see. And have they visited Illium before?" The asari looked to Will and Vayren knowingly.

"Uhh, yeah, once or twice," Will replied.

"Many times," Vayren answered.

The asari attendant nodded. "Perfect." She looked to Kay. "Do you have any goods to declare, Captain?"

"None," Kay replied. "We're just here looking for some friends."

The asari looked down to her datapad and made a few entries. "I see your payment has already been transferred. Is there anything else I can help you with?"

"I think we're good," Fynnis informed her.

"Wonderful. If you require transportation, we have taxi terminals just outside the doors of the main lobby. Enjoy your stay on Illium."

The woman smiled and quickly strode back to the door from where she had appeared as Will turned to the others.

"So what's our first step?" He asked. "All we know is the alias Ralliston is going by now and that he's here in New Estrana."

"We should find the immigration office," Fynnis suggested. "He would have had to register to stay on the planet for more than a week or two."

"Yes, and they might have records on his place of residence," Vayren agreed. "Assuming, of course, that the information he gave them is even true."

"Just what we need, more variables to make this difficult," Kay chimed.

"Come on then," Will said as he started off down the ramp. "Fynnis, think you can find us an immigration office?"

The turian activated his omnitool and nodded. "I'll see what I can find."

The group of four reached the end of the ramp and stepped into the interior of the spaceport. After walking down a hall to a security checkpoint each of them went through the process of presenting their identification and passing through security at the customs checkpoint. This included Vayren, who Will noticed did not identify himself as a Spectre while talking to the security agent. After they had been cleared they boarded and elevator that transported them to the top floor where the main lobby was located and began walking toward the entrance doors.

"Surprised you didn't push through security with your Spectre clearance," Fynnis mentioned to Vayren.

The turian had noticed as well.

"I didn't mention it. In fact, I used a fabricated ID," the salarian responded.

Kay gave him a confused look. "What? Why? If I were a Spectre I'd be pushing that kind of authority everywhere I went!"

"There are people on Illium who don't need to know I am here," he answered.

"Damn, apparently the people that scare Spectres live in New Estrana," Kay joked.

Vayren narrowed his eyes. "This has nothing to do with fear. I assure you that these people have done nothing to  _frighten_  me. It's simply a matter of..." He sighed and shook his head. "Just leave it."

Will gave Vayren a curious look as they stepped outside into the twilight sun and walked toward the taxi terminal near the edge of the balcony.

"We got a destination yet?" Will asked.

"Yep," Fynnis replied. "The city's main immigration office is a few minutes away by skycar. Looks like they'll be open for another hour or so."

Kay stepped up to one of the hailing consoles and called a cab from the row of idling skycars on an outcropping below them. A car at the end jumped to life and spun to position itself by the loading ramp with its door open and waiting. Fynnis stepped ahead of the others and slid into one of the front seats where he accessed the control console and input their destination. Will, Kay and Vayren followed behind him and sat comfortably as the door shut by Kay's command.

"So I have to ask, is this information we're looking for public?" Kay inquired from the second front seat.

The turian shook his head and sat back as the car set off on its course. "It's not available on the extranet," he answered. "I'm hoping at the offices we'll be able to get our hands on it."

"Illium can be a very private place," Vayren warned them. "It would be wise if we had an alternative plan in place."

"I was assuming the alternative plan involved the words, 'I'm a Spectre,' and them handing over whatever we asked for," Kay asserted. "Is that not the case?"

"I used a false identity when we passed through customs," Vayren said with a sigh. "Why would I let the immigration office of all places know of my actual identity?"

Will raised a brow. "You're worried about your name showing up in  _anywhere_? Who are these people you're trying to avoid on Illium?"

"It's not... people," Vayren answered hesitantly. "A person."

Will almost prodded Vayren to continue, but decided against it. Instead he turned to look out the window as the skyline flashed by, illuminated by both the setting sun and the bright, dazzling colors of signs and advertisements scattered across the sides of buildings.

"Glad this guy we're looking for isn't in Nos Astra," Kay mentioned to Fynnis.

The turian snickered and shook his head. "Yeah. Not sure the port authority would be too inclined to let us dock after our last visit."

Before Will or Vayren could ask, the skycar entered a sharp turn and descent toward the entrance of the building that housed New Estrana's central immigration offices. After a graceful alignment with the entrance plaza's unloading ramp, the door of the skycar popped open and deposited the group in front of the building's main entrance. Will led them into the extravagant foyer and came to a stop as he took a long look around the multistory room.

"Fanciest government building I've ever been in," Will chuckled.

"Most of the 'governance' on Illium is private industry," Vayren informed him.

Fynnis nodded in affirmation. "Yep. And while the vibe of Nos Astra is all about fast, modern business, New Estrana draws from classic asari elegance." He paused for a brief moment. "Well, that and fast, modern business."

Will smirked and pointed toward the welcome desk. "Let's see what we can find out."

The four of them approached an asari woman working at her console behind the desk. She glanced up to them and presented a pleasant smile as she turned her attention from the computer.

"Good evening. May I help you?"

"I hope so," Will said with an honest smile. "I'm looking for a friend of mine. He arrived on Illium a month or two ago."

The asari pursed her lips. "Hmm, I see. Well, let's see what we can do." She looked back to her console. "What is the name?"

Will looked down at his omnitool to find the alias that Ralliston was using. "Uhh... Vallarus Septarian."

The attendant typed the name in and looked through the data that was returned. "And what did you want to know about him?"

"I need to know his registered address," Will answered.

"You're in luck," she told them. "His address is non-restricted information. That will be ninety-five credits, please."

Kay scoffed. "Are you kidding me? For public information?"

The asari smiled politely. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but this is not public information. It is simply not restricted and has a standard fee for access."

Will rolled his eyes and tapped a few commands into his omnitool. "Okay, it's transferring."

"Transaction approved," the asari informed them. "I will forward the information to your omnitool. Is there anything else I can assist you with today?"

"No, I think we're good," Will answered as he opened the message in his inbox.

"Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful evening."

Will turned and headed back toward the door with the others following beside or behind him. As they stepped outside, Kay stretched her back and let out a bored yawn.

"So where to now?"

"We visit Ralliston's apartment," Will answered. "And I try my best not to kill him."

* * *

The apartment high-rise that housed Ralliston's address was in an area of town that had clearly seen better days. It appeared as though the area of the city had once, many decades or centuries ago, been the home to much of New Estrana's heavy industry. But the factories had eventually become out-dated and sold off as corporations moved to newer, more high-tech facilities in the ever-expanding city. According to the research Fynnis had done as they arrived at the building, it had once been a housing unit exclusively for laborers in the area. Now it provided a place to live or hide for anyone with enough credits to pay a cheap monthly rate. Ralliston's apartment was on one of the lowest floors, and the group did not have much trouble marking their way into the building without a resident's ID.

"1209," Will reiterated as they followed the series of doors down a hallway.

"I see it," Vayren noted.

The came to a stop in front of a plain metal door. Will raised his hand and tapped the console beside it, sending a hail into the apartment. They waited for nearly a minute before Will pressed the button a second time, only to be met with the same result. He stepped to the side and held an arm out to the door offeringly.

"Fynnis, you wanna take this one?"

The turian stepped up with a shrug and set to work. "Doubt it'll take much to-"

The door pinged and slid open.

Fynnis chuckled lightly. "Yeah. Like I said."

Will peered into the apartment to see a small living area and kitchen with relatively barren walls, counters and tables. He stepped inside and looked around curiously. The sun had set during their flight over, leaving only soft ambient light from the highrises above to sneak into the window at the far side of the room. After another step the automated lights flickered to life and illuminated the room with a dull glow. Will motioned to a door on one wall and glanced back to Kay.

"Check that out?"

She nodded and headed toward the door. "Sure."

Fynnis and Vayren stepped inside behind them and shut the door as they all began examining the apartment looking for anything and nothing in particular. Will stepped past the kitchen and looked over a pair of heavy footlockers lined against a blank wall. He knelt beside one and opened it up, revealing nothing but a few pieces of maintenance equipment. The equipment in the second footlocker was also sparse, though Will identified a few tools that he exclusively used for working on guns.

"Nothing in the bedroom," Kay called.

"Nothing in these footlockers either," Will replied. "Wherever he is, he's got his weapons and armor equipped."

Then, something unusual caught Will's attention. He narrowed his eyes and reached into the weapon footlocker to retrieve what looked like a baseball-sized chunk of metal, partially warped and bent but clearly part of some kind of metal plating. One side was a painted light gray that had faded over some time, while the other was the dull silver tone of the metal's natural color.

Vayren knelt beside him. "What is it?"

Will shook his head lightly. "I... I think it might be part of the debris," he said quietly. "From the  _Hyperion._ " He closed his eyes and envisioned the ship in front of him."The color is exactly the same as he hull."

The salarian gave him a sideways glance. "Something to remember you and the crew by?"

"Maybe," Will admitted as he opened his eyes and set it back down.

"I don't see anything else in here," Fynnis informed them. "It looks like this guy leads a pretty utilitarian life."

Will shut the two footlockers and stood with Vayren at his side. "Yeah. I guess now we just wait for-"

Before he could finish the door pinged and slid open, surprising the four of them. They spun to face the opening door to see a large turian in Eclipse armor standing firmly in the doorway with his assault rifle aimed toward them. Will immediately recognized him. Ralliston.

"You should scope out your robberies better next time," the turian shouted. "Because there's nothing of value here! And learn how to crack a door without triggering the silent alarm next time."

As his eyes fell on Will, Ralliston froze in place without warning. The grip on the rifle in his hands slackened and the barrel of the gun dropped slightly as his mouth opened in silent shock.

"Hume?" He asked under his breath.

Will took a step toward him. "That's right. And I haven't shot you yet." He stared Ralliston down. "I'd say this is going about as well as it could have."


	11. Chapter 11

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 11**

_**Dela Tower Apartments, New Estrana, Illium** _

Will stared Ralliston down with bitter but relieved eyes. At least the turian was still alive. The fact that Ralliston seemed to be utterly distraught and confused by Will's presence gave him far too much guilty satisfaction. Will, Ralliston, Vayren, Kay and Fynnis all stared at one another quietly, the three latter shifting their eyes between the reuniting pair.

Approximately twenty seconds later, Ralliston finally spoke. "You think I'm gonna fall for that?"

He whipped his rifle to attention and held the sights on Will's chest.

"Are you really going to kill me?" Will asked spitefully. "Not content with just stabbing me in the back?"

The turian gripped his rifle tighter. "How do-"

"Because I'm William Hume!" He interrupted. "Now put the fucking gun down!"

Ralliston seemed to fumble his words. "How did... how long have you..." He shook his head and spoke softly as though he was forced to urge his own words out. "We thought you were dead."

"Funny how many people thought so," Will commented with a sigh. "And some people still do."

"You haven't told me  _how,_ " Ralliston pleaded. "We searched for weeks!"

Will felt a tinge of guilt for his previous indignation. No matter how angry he was at Ralliston, he seemed to have been truly upset by Will's loss. He took a calming breath and recomposed himself before responding.

"I was only in the debris field for a few hours. I got picked up by a Blue Suns slaving ship and thrown into a labor camp."

The turian looked as though he was trying to come to terms with far more information than he could possibly handle at once. "And you escaped?"

"I was rescued," Will corrected.

Ralliston looked over Will's shoulder to where Vayren, Kay and Fynnis stood patiently watching the exchange. They met the turian's gaze for a moment before he looked back to Will.

"And who are they?"

"Two of them are the ones who saved me," Will answered. "The third is an old friend."

Ralliston looked to Will and tightened the grip on his rifle before taking a few steps closer, slowly enough that he appeared to be still exercising caution. The turian's eyes finally came to rest in line with Will's as he stared him down.

"We spent days looking for you. And a few more weeks afterward looking for a body," Ralliston muttered under his breath. "I can't just take it on your word that you're really you. Not when you show up out of nowhere, armed and with three strangers on your flank."

Will looked back to Kay, Vayren and Ralliston as they stood watching. He let out a sigh and shook his head.

"Give us a few minutes," he asked of them.

Kay narrowed her eyes as she continued to stare Ralliston down. "Are you sure?"

"He's not going to hurt me, if that's what you're implying," Will assured her.

She nodded reluctantly and waved for the others to follow her. Together the three of them stepped past Will and Ralliston and through the door to the hallway. Will waited for the door to close behind them before turning back to Ralliston.

"Am I supposed to convince you that I'm really me? What do you want me to say?" Will asked with a shrug. "Do you want me to recite some of the things you told me in confidence? Or maybe that I know how you tried and nearly succeeded in betraying us?"

The turian looked away shamefully and dropped his gun to his side. "That.. that isn't-"

"Isn't what?" Will immediately interrupted. "True? Because I know it is for a  _fact._ "

"That isn't who am anymore," Ralliston corrected him. "Or at least... I'm trying not to be." He looked back up, barely keeping Will's gaze. "I know that I didn't deserve your selflessness on the Citadel. You or Eleena's. You two could have died just  _trying_ to save me. Hell, with a hit like the one I took, I would've just assumed I was dead and gone."

Will set his jaw firmly. "I've had a lot of time to think over the past two years. Sometimes I think I made the wrong choice saving your life." He paused for a moment and took in a deep breath. "Then I remember I'm not the kind of bastard who sells out his friends and shipmates for a few credits."

Ralliston nodded in defeated agreement. "Apparently I am," he admitted. "But like I said, I don't want that anymore." He paused briefly. "I'm trying to make amends."

"Yeah, by helping out Kallux," Will snorted. "I can promise you that's not gonna earn any forgiveness from me."

Ralliston met Will's gaze with exasperated eyes.

"Then why are you here?" He asked weakly.

"I'm looking for the others," Will answered. "Shansa, Eleena, Tul, and T'lees. Kallux doesn't know where they are and you're the only other person who might."

The turian's eyes brightened slightly. "You need my help?"

"No, I need your information."

Ralliston thought in silence before nodding. "Then maybe we can help each other."

Will narrowed his eyes. "I'm pretty sure I don't owe you a damned thing," he snapped.

"I can't help you unless you help me first," Ralliston argued. "Now are you going to at least  _listen_  to my offer or not?"

Will shook his head and stepped back. "Fine."

The turian turned and set his rifle on the counter of his kitchenette. "Why don't we sit down. I need to rest for a damn second."

He nodded toward the small table at the edge of the living area. The turian dropped into one of the seats and placed a hand across his face as he drew in a deep breath. Will watched him closely as he took a few steps to follow him and sit in an unoccupied chair. In all honesty, Ralliston did seem different. The turian he remembered had been cocky and downright arrogant at times. Now, something was holding him down.

As Ralliston finished collecting himself he dropped his hand and looked over to Will. "I'm in a bad place here, Captain."

Will frowned. "It's not 'Captain' anymore."

The turian nodded and glanced down. "I guess not."

"So what's the offer?" Will asked reluctantly.

"I've been here for a little over a month," Ralliston began. "The entire time I've been working to infiltrate the Eclipse. I've made some good progress, too." He hesitated and closed his eyes. "But I was a little careless a few days ago while pulling some data from my base's network. They know someone is stealing information from them."

"So you need help stealing the rest of it?" Will guessed.

The turian shook his head. "No. No, I wish it were something as easy as that. They copied everyone's omnitool records a few hours ago so they could determine who the culprit was. They'll know it was me in a matter of days. Hours maybe."

Will crossed his arms. "Sounds like you need to get the hell out of here then. Looking for a ride?"

"I'm not leaving yet," Ralliston argued. "If I can recover my records or falsify them in some way I'll be fine. But I need help getting there."

"You want me to help you infiltrate an Eclipse base?" Will said with a groan.

"I can handle the hard stuff," Ralliston quickly assured him. "The hack shouldn't be... too difficult."

Will shook his head. "If we're doing this then Fynnis or Vayren will be handling the tech. I don't need you fucking up something they could do in five seconds." He rubbed his forehead absentmindedly. "But first you're going to tell me what the hell I get out of this."

Ralliston averted his eyes. "If you help me, I can help you find Shansa and Eleena."

"How?" Will asked firmly.

"I... I know the names they're going by," he said quietly. "And I know that they're here on Illium as we speak."

Will nearly lunged forward. "They're  _here?_ " He demanded. "Give me a reason why I shouldn't beat the hell out of you until you tell me everything you know!"

"Because you're a good person!" Ralliston argued in return. "I know they're okay and that they're not going anywhere so you don't have to worry about them slipping away from you. But in a few hours I may be very, very  _not_  okay. I need help, Cap-... er, Will."

For a moment, Will wanted nothing more than to push the table aside and grab Ralliston by the throat until the turian surrendered what he so desperately needed. But he wasn't going to do that. He wasn't going to reduce himself to a violent animal to get what he wanted.

"They're okay?" He finally asked.

Ralliston nodded. "Yes. The crew kept in touch for a short while after you 'died.' It was actually T'Lees that told me the names they've been going by."

Will sat back in his seat and crossed his arms. "Alright. I'm going to help you with this. But if I'm not talking to Shansa and Eleena face to face within a week-"

"You know I can't promise that," Ralliston interrupted. "But it sounds like I'm your only option at this point."

Will grunted and looked to the side. "For someone trying to be a better person, you sure are performing a lot of emotional manipulation."

"But I'm not leading you into an ambush," Ralliston reminded him.

"I'm not holding my breath," Will replied doubtfully.

The turian shrugged. "One step at a time, right?"

"Let's get the others back inside. I should probably introduce you," Will said as he stood and walked toward the door.

He tapped the console to order the door open and smirked as he saw Kay, Fynnis and Vayren spin on their heels to face him. Will stepped to the side and held out a hand gesturing to the inside of the apartment.

"Come on in. We've got some planning to do."

"Do we?" Asked an amused Kay as she sauntered inside.

"That's right," Will replied. "We're going to pull Ralliston's ass out of the fire and he's going to help us find Shansa and Eleena."

"Oh, just what I wanted," Fynnis remarked flatly. "More work."

As the others entered the room they moved toward the living area where Ralliston still sat at the table.

"If it makes you feel any better, we're gonna be hitting the Eclipse," Will informed them.

"Music to my ears," Kay commented as she reached up and ran her fingers through her short black hair.

Vayren and Fynnis stood beside the table, both of them staring down at Ralliston along with Kay. Will closed the front door and walked up to the group with a reluctant smile.

"I should probably introduce you," Will mentioned. "Ralliston, this is Kay. She rescued me from the labor camp." He looked over to her. "And she's Shansa's older sister."

Ralliston blinked in confusion. "I didn't know Shansa had a sister."

"We thought she was dead," Will said with a frown.

"And I thought  _you two_  were dead," Kay added with a laugh. "My brain's still playing catch up."

Will smirked. "Same here." He nodded to the next person in line. "That's Fynnis. He also helped rescue me."

Fynnis and Ralliston simply exchanged nods of acknowledgment.

"And last but not least, we have Vayren," Will continued. "I told you about the Spectres we helped in catching a fugitive, right?" He nodded to the salarian. "Well this is one of them."

Ralliston straightened up in his chair as he looked to Vayren. "You're... a Spectre?"

"That's correct," Vayren answered.

Will held out a hand to present the final introduction. "And to the three of you, this is Ralliston Kitt."

The turian stood and nodded respectfully to them. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate your help."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," Fynnis said with a laugh. "I'd like to at least know what said help entails before we jump on in."

Ralliston looked to Will and was met with a nod. The turian looked to the three new faces and placed his hands on the table.

"Simply put: the Eclipse group I've been infiltrating has information that'll tie me to the Red Moon Collective. When they find it they'll come after me and the RMC, I can damn near guarantee it." He looked to each of them. "All I need is a little help breaking into their internal network so we can modify the data they collected from my omnitool."

"You just gave them all the data on your omnitool?" Kay asked in disbelief.

Ralliston turned to face her. "I didn't have a choice. They called the whole unit in and downloaded everyone's data one at a time. If I'd refused... well, about fifty people would have been rather suspicious."

"Fifty people," Will repeated. "We're going to just try to push our way past  _fifty_ Eclipse mercs?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Ralliston answered. "I just need you all to create a bit of a distraction while I get into the network and-"

"Hold on," Will quickly interrupted. "Remember what I said earlier? If anyone is going to be hacking it'll be Vayren or Fynnis. You can help me and Kay with the distraction."

"I'll handle it," Vayren added. "I can't imagine their network will be a significant challenge. Plus, I doubt Fynnis here is as subtle as I am."

The group looked to Fynnis for an objection, only to be met with a shrug. "No arguments here. The guy's a fucking  _Spectre_."

Will gave the turian a small smirk. "You know Fynnis, I can't help but appreciate your innate ability to not give a damn."

"Innate?" Fynnis crossed his arms and leaned back coolly. "That hurts. It takes a lot of work to be this irreverent."

"I'm sure," Will responded as he looked back to Ralliston. "So Vayren will take care of the hard part. How do we distract fifty mercs?"

"Shouldn't have to," Ralliston answered. "At least not that many. We have a raid in the factory district kicking off in about an hour. That'll occupy a good portion of our combat team."

Kay looked to the side and grumbled. "I was looking forward to knocking a few Eclipse heads in."

"I'd prefer to finish this as quickly and quietly as possible," Will reminded her. "I think we should just walk in saying we're looking to offload something illicit. Create a bit of a huff, try to draw as much of them as we can, and leave whenever Vayren has finished his work."

Ralliston shook his head. "It'd be better if you said you're looking to buy. The gang's overloaded with cargo from raids at the moment." He looked to Will. "On top of that, the leader of the group is deploying on the mission in about an hour. The second in charge, a turian named Prossala, is watching over the base while she's gone. She's rash and greedy. All we need to do is pretend like we're ready to throw down a few hundred thousand credits and she'll be begging to sell."

"That's not much of a plan," Vayren pointed out.

"No, it's not. But sometimes I like to roll with the punches," Will replied. "And in case you haven't noticed, we're short on time. Otherwise I'd love to indulge in some special tactics and reconnaissance."

The salarian gave him a joking glare. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. I  _am_  still on vacation, remember?"

"Seriously," Kay said mock-accusingly to Will. "Let the guy leave his work at work for fuck's sake."

After a small laugh from the group, Ralliston cleared his throat to request their attention. With four sets of eyes now on him, the turian took a small breath and nodded.

"Thanks ahead of time your help," he said plainly.

"Well you haven't given us much of a choice. Thanks usually goes to people who make a  _decision_  to help you out," Will countered sharply. "That said," he turned to face the others. "I  _do_ owe you three thanks. And you have mine. Sincerely."

"It's my pleasure to aid a friend in need," Vayren told him with simple nod.

Kay smiled. "Yeah. And I've also got my own stake in this by the name of Shansa, remember?"

Will glanced to Fynnis who shook his head. "I'm just here because of the free room and board on the  _Trueshot._ "

Kay grinned and punched the turian's arm lightly, which Fynnis waved off in feigned apathy.

"Alright, let's get going," Will declared. "Ralliston, you got a skycar?"

The turian laughed. "Are you kidding? My pay is barely enough to cover rent and food."

Will sighed and took a step toward the door. "Then it looks like we're infiltrating via the most intimidating way possible: taxi."

* * *

The building that housed the Eclipse's local base was far less decrepit than Ralliston's apartment building, leading Will to believe that the group was doing quite well for themselves in New Estrana. He looked down as the taxi descended toward the landing pad a few dozen stories up the side of the building to see a few inactive skycars parked near the nondescript entrance. In the back seat, Vayren's cloak fluttered as he was whisked into invisibility. Two Eclipse guards were sitting by the wide door with their helmets off while leaning against the wall, relaxed. They stared for a moment in what seemed like disbelief as the taxi settled down in front of them before grabbing their weapons from their backs as the door swung up and open.

"Woah, woah!" Will shouted as he held up his hands and stepped out of the car. "We're here on peaceful terms."

Ralliston quickly jumped out after him, still wearing his Eclipse armor, and stepped past Will. Upon seeing someone in their colors the two Eclipse guards, a salarian and human, lowered their weapons just enough to convince Will they were no longer an immediate threat.

"Relax," Ralliston said as he came to a stop in front of them. "I found some potential buyers."

The salarian looked to him suspiciously. "We weren't told to expect anyone."

Ralliston loomed intimidatingly over the much smaller salarian. "You wanna explain to Prossala why you turned them away? Let us in so I can introduce them and get the damn credits flowing."

The human guard activated his omnitool and waited before an agitated female voice broke over the small speaker.

" _What?"_

"Ma'am, Septarian just showed up with a few people. Claims they're interested in buying."

" _Buying what?"_  She asked, still irritated.  _"And how many of them?"_

Behind them, Fynnis and Kay had stepped out of the skycar and walked up to stand on either side of Will as he waited with a facade of impatience.

Ralliston shrugged and leaned forward to speak into the human's mic. "Anything. They seem pretty impulsive."

"And there's only three of them," the human added.

After a short pause the woman presumed to be Prossala responded.  _"Bring them into the warehouse. I'll be there in a minute."_

The salarian guard stepped back to the door and tapped the console. "Alright, go." He looked to Ralliston and pointed a finger. "You take them straight to the warehouse, got it?"

The turian scoffed. "I know how to do my damn job," he replied. "You three, follow me."

Will, Kay and Fynnis casually walked past the two guards to catch up with Ralliston, all of them pretending to be somewhere between confident and oblivious to the danger of walking into a bunch of Eclipse mercenaries. The group stepped into a short, well-lit gray hallway with only a few doors on either side and one at the very end. As they approached the door at the end of the hall, Ralliston glanced over his shoulder.

"Did the Spectre make it inside?"

" _I'm three meters behind you,"_  Vayren answered over the comms.  _"Where is the nearest network terminal?"_

"The warehouse is straight ahead," Ralliston replied. "Should be a few consoles scattered around the room."

The door in front of them pinged and slid open automatically as they approached, revealing a cavernous room that more closely resembled a hangar than a warehouse. The ten meter high wall on the left-hand side of the room was completely open with a few docking armatures extending out from the building and into the New Estrana sky. Three Kodiak shuttles were idling near the opening, two of them with an open door and half loaded with cargo. The rest of the room was filled with hundreds of crates and shipping containers, all stacked in only the loosest of organizational conventions. Will turned his wandering eyes forward as they stepped inside to see a group of at least ten Eclipse standing at the center of the room staring Ralliston and his guests down. The turian continued forward confidently and raised his chin with a laugh.

"Prossala, you are gonna love me," he declared.

A dark-skinned turian woman at the center of the Eclipse group narrowed her eyes. Her armor was indicative of rank, and her stature was damned intimidating.

"That remains to be seen," she responded sharply.

"Bumped into this guy and his buddies at the bar," Ralliston lied, very convincingly so.

The turian stepped to the side and nodded toward Will, Kay and Fynnis as they all approached the group of Eclipse. Will came to a stop a few feet away and extended a hand.

"Nicholas Black," Will said loudly. "I hear," he looked around, "and  _see_ , that you might have something I'd like to get my hands on."

Prossala's eyes wandered Will up and down slowly before doing the same to Kay and Fynnis. She took a single step forward, ignoring Will's hand, and flaring her mandibles confidently.

"That being?"

Will shook his head and pulled his hand back. "Anything. I came into quite a few credits last night in a friendly wager and I'm looking to convert it into some... material assets." He grinned. "I'm a bit of an opportunist."

The turian female shifted her eyes to Ralliston for a brief moment, who simply stood with his arms crossed and nodded slowly. Finally, she took in a sharp breath and shrugged.

"Mister Black, was it?"

"That's right," Will replied.

Prossala held her hands out to her sides. "It looks like we might be able to do business together. As you can see, we have a surplus on our hands."

Will looked to the group of Eclipse soldiers all standing at ease behind their commander. "So what do you have? I've got about a quarter of a million credits I'd be willing to part with."

The turian's eyes widened greedily, but quickly returned to their cool and collected state. "Better question is what don't we have. But as for what I need to sell..." She reached down and activated her omnitool. "I've got some guns and mods, some of the best either side of the Terminus. Plenty of drugs as well; Minagen X3, videlicet, some sinaxx, I think."

Behind him he could hear Kay exhale angrily at the mention of sinaxx. Knowing that she was already not happy to be in the midst of the Eclipse.

"Hmm," Will wondered aloud.

He looked down and activated his omnitool. Will opened his communicator to see a message from Vayren sent just over thirty seconds earlier.

_I'm in their network. Searching for the files now._

Will cleared his throat and looked up. "I'd probably find more use for the guns."

"Then allow me to direct you to a large haul we... acquired from the Elkoss Combine," Prossala said as she pointed to a large shipping container a few meters away.

As Will, Fynnis and Kay turned to the side, Prossala grabbed her rifle and brought it to bear with the rest of the group following her lead. Ralliston jumped in surprise as Will, Fynnis and Kay all looked back and instinctively lifted their hands.

"Hey, Prossala!" Ralliston quickly objected. "What the hell?"

The turian woman gave Ralliston a harsh look. "I should be asking you the same question. Draw your rifle, soldier!"

Ralliston reluctantly grabbed his rifle from his back and took a step toward her. "I thought you wanted to offload some of our assets."

Prossala snorted indignantly. "You've got a lot to learn, kid." She took a step toward Will. "We can sell to business partners. Idiots you can lure into the base with a quarter million on their chit? Free credits."

"Hold on a damn second," Will objected. "We've got friends that you  _do not_  want to cross."

The Eclipse commander narrowed her eyes and lifted her rifle to line up a shot with Will's chest.

"That so?" Prossala looked back over her shoulder to her squad. "Light 'em up."

As the final word escaped her mouth a burst of flesh and blood exploded from her neck, accompanied by a single loud crack that echoed terribly in the hangar. Will immediately identified the sound of Vayren's sniper rifle. He, Fynnis and Kay had already changed stance to flee as Prossala had ordered her troops to fire and were bought precious seconds as the Eclipse spun in surprise, looking for the shooter. Ralliston turned to join the others as they darted behind a shipping container for cover. A few Eclipse soldiers had collected themselves within the few seconds of Prossala being hit and her body slamming to the ground as she grasped the gushing wound in her neck. They opened fire as Ralliston slipped into cover.

Will slammed his back into the shipping container and grabbed his rifle. "Ralliston!"

"I didn't know she was  _that_  unstable!" He quickly snapped back.

"We need and exit strategy," Kay chimed in urgently.

Will pushed aside his anger and pointed toward the door they had entered through. "It's about a dozen meters to the door. Think we can make it?"

"We'll be exposed the entire time," Fynnis reminded him. "And we'd have to break into one of the skycars. Taxi's long gone."

The shouting and loud shuffling of Eclipse soldiers was echoing louder around them.

" _You need to move,"_  Vayren's voice advised over the comms.  _"You have three on the left and at least two on the right."_

"Shit," Will muttered. "Okay, everyone run-"

" _No time, everyone stay down!"_

Another shot from Vayren's sniper rifle rang out and impacted something on the ceiling behind them. A loud hiss billowed from a breached red pipe that the majority of the Eclipse squad looked up to curiously. Another shot rang out, this one striking the metal near the pipe and sending a few sparks soaring into the white mist falling from above. Before anyone could move for cover the gas ignited in a violent explosion, engulfing nearly a third of the room in the inferno. Will closed his eyes and pressed his back against the shipping container as flames licked around the corners, causing the entire squad's shields to flare and dip. He opened his eyes just in time to see the fire retract with billowing black smoke taking its place. Will drew in a sharp breath as he glanced to his HUD to see Vayren's shielding had completely vanished.

"Will!"

He turned with wide eyes to see Kay pointing off to her right.

"The shuttles!" She yelled. "We can take one of the shuttles!"

"We have to get Vayren!" Will immediately objected.

" _I'm okay!"_  The salarian reported.  _"I'm on my way to you!"_

"That Kodiak sounds like a damn good idea to me," Ralliston pointed out.

As Kay turned toward the opening of the hangar where the shuttles had been idling, a figure spun around the corner of the shipping container through the thick smoke. She jumped at him just as the Eclipse soldier opened fire, grabbing his gun and forcing it up and disrupting his line of fire. Kay ripped the gun from his hands and threw it to the side as Fynnis raised his own rifle and trained his sights on the Eclipse merc's head. Then, as though they had practiced the very motion a dozen times, Kay instinctively stepped to the side to give the turian a clear shot as he opened fire and killed the mercenary cleanly. As Will watched the scene unfold, Ralliston hugged his rifle to his chest and watched his corner until an invisible wisp darted through the smoke in front of them. Vayren's cloak crackled as it disappeared and revealed him. The salarian's armor was severely scorched, but still remained intact, save for a few areas where the underlay mesh had nearly burned through. Will had to imagine those areas we in severe pain.

"Are we leaving or what?" Kay shouted.

"Yes, go!" Will replied as he brought himself back to the current situation.

Kay had already started sprinting through the smoke as he answered. Fynnis was directly on her tail, with Will, Ralliston and Vayren forming up behind them. The sound of the idling Kodiak thrusters was nearly drowned out by the roaring fires on the other side of the hangar, but were loud enough to guide them to the still unoccupied shuttles. Kay looked between two of them before choosing one and jumping into the half-full cargo compartment. The others jumped in just as a few gunshots began to impact around them, indicating that a few of the Eclipse had survived the explosion. Fynnis darted past Kay and into the cockpit where he slid into the pilot's seat and began looking over the fight controls.

"Not the best at flying these things," he shouted to them. "Might wanna get that door closed!"

Will grabbed onto a rail on the ceiling of the Kodiak as the shuttle lurched up and out of the hangar. He leaned out just far enough to see the smoke and flames roaring from inside the hangar before closed his eyes and shutting the hatch.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 12**

_**New Estrana, Illium** _

"For the third time, you're in the clear."

Ralliston was sitting on one of the crates in the cargo section of their stolen Kodiak with his eyes locked on Vayren. The salarian sat across the aisle, meeting the turian's gaze challengingly while his omnitool scanned the burns on his left wrist and ankle.

"But what if they had backups," Ralliston continued.

Vayren shook his head with a sigh. "I wiped everything on the network when everything started going downhill," he explained. "They only way they could still have your omnitool data is if they had a physical backup on a holopad somewhere."

"Not outside the realm of possibility," Kay mentioned offhandedly as she leaned casually against the back wall.

The Spectre nodded in reluctant agreement. "True. But we have no way of knowing."

Ralliston glanced over to Will. "If they do have a backup somewhere it'll expose me and the entire RMC as saboteurs."

Will shrugged. "I know, that's why I agreed to help you in the first place. But there's nothing we can do at this point."

The turian had argued against their reassurance for the past five minutes, but this time he seemed to finally relent. Vayren read over the newly gathered data on his omnitool and prepped another dose of medi-gel for the burns he had sustained during their escape. Kay continued to watch in curious silence from the back of the ship as Will did the same from the front. Fynnis, meanwhile, was busy piloting the shuttle toward a public landing zone where they would be able to regroup and set out on their next course of action.

"So, Ralliston, now that we've taken care of your problem," Will began, "I'd say it's time you hold up your end of the deal and help me with mine. Give me those names so we can start tracking Shansa and Eleena down."

Ralliston was anxious enough that even Will could see it in his turian features. However, Ralliston gave him a reluctant nod and stood to stand face to face with him. Before he could speak, a voice from the cockpit interjected.

"We might have a problem," Fynnis called. "There's a skycar behind us sending a hail. It's the New Estrana authorities. They're saying we need to land immediately."

Will turned to the cockpit. "Shit. Did they say why?"

"Not yet," Fynnis answered. "But I'm willing to bet it has something to do with that enormous inferno way may or may not have left behind in that building."

Will, Kay and Vayren all looked to one another, waiting for someone to give Fynnis an order. Finally, Vayren cleared his throat and turned to look into the cockpit.

"Set us down somewhere public," the salarian said calmly.

"Parking structure right ahead," Fynnis commented. "Bringing us down."

"I hope these boxes aren't filled with anything  _too_  illegal," Kay mentioned as she looked around to the scattered crates.

"It's not ours," Ralliston argued.

Will gave him a condescending look. "Yeah, we'll just tell them that we accidentally stole all of it. Excellent thinking, Ralliston."

The turian snarled and looked to the side as the shuttle came to a rather graceful stop in the public landing zone. Fynnis reached around the cockpit, deactivating the systems no longer needed for flight as Will stepped toward the door and glanced to the others.

"Want me to handle this?"

"Have at it," Kay invited with a smirk.

He tapped the door's control panel, ordering the hatch to slide open and reveal the rooftop landing zone where they had parked. Even with the sun completely set the air was still heavy with heat. Will jumped to the ground and looked ahead to see two security officers approaching from a parked skycar. They were both asari in black and gray uniforms and were already looking over the Kodiak as they spoke quietly between one another. As they came within earshot the two officers quieted and looked to Will as he stood waiting.

"Identify yourself," the darker-blue of the pair ordered.

Will nodded once. "William Hume. I'm visiting from off planet."

"Mister Hume, we have reason to believe you and your accomplices were present during an incident resulting in grievous damage dealt to private property," she informed him without missing a beat. "This vehicle was tracked leaving the scene of a violent explosion."

"I can't deny that," Will said, deciding to play his case rationally. "But it was either run away or stick around and get burned to death. Should we have stayed?"

The two asari exchanged a brief look. The lighter skinned of the pair spoke next.

"Of course not. But that certainly makes you and your cohorts people of interest." She waved toward the Kodiak. "And this isn't helping your case. We know that address houses an Eclipse base, and this is one of their vehicles." The officer glanced back to Will. "You don't look like Eclipse."

"Can't deny that either," Will continued. "We were just visiting at the time. But, like I already said, it was either jump in this thing and get out or burn up."

"Curious that our officers on the scene haven't reported any Eclipse survivors," the first asari noted.

Will knew Ralliston would be relieved to hear that. Somewhere behind him he could have sworn he heard a relieved sigh.

"Are you implying that we had something to with the explosion?" Will asked with a raised brow.

"Was that not clear?" One of the asari said, clearly asserting her authority.

"We were there for completely amicable business interests," he assured them.

The first asari shook her head and looked down at her omnitool. "We'll draw our own conclusions after we've gathered enough evidence. For now, you all are going to have to accompany us to the precinct."

Vayren dropped lithely to the ground beside Will, catching the attention of all three of them before anyone could continue. The salarian cleared his throat and stepped forward.

"Officer, are you under the command of Captain Seltara?"

The two asari looked to the salarian curiously. Vayren was standing with his arms folded non-threateningly behind his back and dark eyes staring straight back at them.

The light skinned asari nodded slowly. "She is one of the New Estrana Security Department's senior officers," she slowly responded. "I suppose we are _technically_  under her command, as she is the chief of this district."

"I'd like to speak to her," Vayren said quite curtly.

Will glanced over to the salarian curiously, but was given no insight into the motivation behind his request. Instead, Vayren simply shifted his eyes toward him for a moment before returning his attention to the pair of asari without the slightest lapse in his composure.

"That's not the standard procedure with suspected criminals," the first asari informed him.

"Oh, so we're 'suspected criminals' now," Will muttered.

"Tell her," Vayren began firmly before pausing. "Tell her that Vayren would like to speak with her."

His words were sharp and deliberate to the point at which they sounded artificial. Will could tell Vayren had forced himself to speak. The asari exchanged a reluctant look.

"We served together in the STG," Vayren continued. "Please, she will want to see me."

The first asari sighed and rolled her eyes as she tapped in a command into her omnitool. After a few seconds the light pinged green and the officer raised her hand to her ear.

"Yeah, this is T'lonnis. Is Captain Seltara on duty?" She nodded slightly. "I've got a perp saying he just  _has_  to speak with her. Sounds like an old acquaintence. Or lying." There was a small pause before shaking her head irritably. "Listen, if he's not bullshitting then I don't want a damn demerit for not passing this along. Just send her a message saying..."

The asari looked to Vayren and raised a brow.

"Vayren," the Spectre reminded her.

"Tell her 'Vayren' wants to speak to her," she concluded.

All four of them fell into hushed anticipation as the lead asari stood patiently waiting for a response. Will shifted his eyes over to Vayren and gave him a curious look, hoping he would give some insight into his motives. Unfortunately, the Spectre continued to stare directly ahead, completely straight-faced after his previous brief lapse in composure. Finally, the asari turned her attention back to her earpiece.

"Now?" The asari gave a Vayren a razor-sharp look. "Okay, we'll be there in ten."

She tapped a button on her omnitool. "You're coming with us."

Will raised a brow. "Who?"

"All of you," she answered. "Get everyone out of that shuttle. We've got another squad car on the way."

Will looked to the salarian at his side. "What the hell is going on, Vayren?"

"I'll explain later," he answered. "But now, I advise that you let me do the talking."

With a reluctant nod of agreement, Will turned back to see Kay, Fynnis and Ralliston standing in the doorway behind them. Having been listening to the entire exchange, Kay took a small breath and jumped to the ground as Fynnis turned and reached into the cockpit to disable the Kodiak's idling thrusters.

"So, we're going to a police station?" Kay asked cautiously.

Will nodded and leaned close to her as he spoke with a hushed voice. "Just follow my lead and do like I do: trust the Spectre."

* * *

Walking into the New Estrana security headquarters brought Will a slight sense of troubling déjà vu. Both the building and the lobby looked frighteningly similar to the Eclipse base they had snuck into just an hour earlier. The dozens of security officers all eying him and his crew also did not help. After being led to a waiting area, Vayren was prompted to follow an officer alone to meet with Captain Seltara. He swiftly objected and persuaded them to allow Will to accompany them, something for which Will was terribly thankful. He gave Kay a stern look as he left them and hoped that she understood the unspoken order of "please behave."

As Will and Vayren were led further into the station the bland, gray decor began to change into that of hard-edged, sophisticated and almost artful architecture. The fact that the security on most of Illium was, if not completely privatized, heavily influenced by corporate interests was becoming increasingly obvious in the numerous corners that had clearly not been cut for the sake of practicality. After ascending in a glass-walled elevator to one of the higher floors, Will and Vayren were shown to a door where their asari escort came to a stop. One of them tapped the security console to the side of the door and stepped aside just it opened. The room's entire back wall was lined with a window showcasing the New Estrana cityscape as it gleamed in the night. The interior was fairly empty in terms of furniture, except for a desk with three chairs on the guest side and one on the opposite. In the far chair sat a tan-skinned salarian in what looked like a black, tight-skinned suit that Will often saw as the typical attire for off-duty salarian soldiers. The salarian had slightly angled eyes, a feature which Will recognized from Malylen, thus giving him the only hint at the gender of the otherwise androgenous alien.

The two asari that had escorted them took up position by the door and waved them forward into the room. As they entered the office the salarian's eyes looked up from the computer console at her desk and froze on Will and Vayren. Her hands slowly moved off of the holographic keyboard as she rose from her seat and stepped around the desk, still eying them with an unreadable expression.

"Vayren," she said with a near laugh, her face turning as happy as a salarian's had ever been. "I honestly didn't believe it would really be you."

The Spectre collected his thoughts after a second of contemplation. "Desperate times," he jested softly.

Seltara grinned widely. "You sneaky bastard. How did you get into my city without tripping any of my alerts?"

"Your city?" Vayren repeated. "I used a false ID. I'm not an amateur, Seltara." He shook his head. "Once again: your city?"

She continued to smile and only occasionally glance to Will as he stood quietly beside Vayren. "Oh, come now, Vayren. You know what I mean." She narrowed her eyes mischievously. "I imagine being a Spectre made it quite easy for you to keep tabs on me."

"Well, as I'm sure you've guessed, I didn't plan on your security force apprehending me."

"Not just you," she quickly noted.

Seltara turned to face Will, acknowledging him for the first time.

"My officers mentioned a few accomplices," she continued.

Vayren crossed his arms irritably. "Seltara, this is William Hume. He's not an accomplice. He is... a friend of mine."

The salarian woman looked back to Vayren excitedly. "A  _friend_  you say? And when did the Vayren I know start making  _friends_?"

"We're really more coworkers than anything," Will finally spoke. "My crew and I helped him with some Spectre business."

Seltara looked as though she was thoroughly enjoying the stream of revelations concerning Vayren's personal matters. She crossed her arms behind her back and tilted her head curiously.

"Oh, Vayren, you must stay for a few drinks and tell me about your past few years." She nodded toward Will. "Your...  _friend_  is quite welcome as well."

She was absolutely gleaming at the suggestion. Will furrowed his brows and continued to eye Seltara out of nothing but profound confusion. He had only met a handful of salarian females, which was not surprising due to their apparent rarity, but Seltara seemed to defy the personality of them all. Will had always thought Malylen was a bit unique for her kind, but was still quite serious and at times stern. As he watched her, Seltara turned and waved the two of them toward her desk and the chairs before it.

Vayren sighed disapprovingly. "We really do not have time to-"

Seltara spun on a dime and gave Vayren a point of her finger that stopped his words dead. "You entered my city, my place of jurisdiction, and blew up an Eclipse base. I know the only reason you're here is out of hopes that I'll just forget about that and let you on your way. But before I consider that, you'll sit down so we can catch up like friends do."

Vayren exhaled angrily at the command. "First of all, Seltara, you are accusing me of a crime with zero evidence. Second, I have Spectre autority and could be out of here in minutes if I so pleased."

"And yet you chose to wiggle your way into my office instead," Seltara reminded him. "We have a lot to catch up on, Vayren."

"I knew that if I were to present my Spectre codes to your officers you would merely corner me when I tried to leave New Estrana!" He shook his head. "And thus, we would be right here only with you pretending to be offended that I never came by to pay you this visit."

The salarian woman approached a shelf on the right wall of her office and retrieved a bottle of blue liquid along with three stacked glasses. She returned to her desk and set them all at the center before glancing over to Vayren expectantly.

"Well?"

Will looked over to Vayren. The Spectre closed his eyes and grumbled angrily before walking toward the desk.

"You can be... infuriating," he said.

Cautiously, Will took a few steps to follow after him. "Never seen you this worked up, Vayren," he mentioned.

"I am not 'worked up,'" he muttered. "Just utterly dumbfounded by how selfish one person can be."

"Selfish?" Seltara scoffed. "Pardon me, Vayren, but friendship is a two-way street."

"So you would  _think_ that the lack of participation from one party would imply an abscence of friendly relations," Vayren continued to grumble as he came to sit in one of the chairs.

"And yet you're still here," Seltara teased knowingly while pouring a few drinks. "William Hume, was it?" She looked to Will.

"That's right," he answered, extending a hand as he reached the desk.

The salarian female took it and shook once, engaging in the human greeting as though she was very familar with the practice.

"Captain Seltara Mullos," she replied. "Pleasure to meet you. Especially if you are actually a  _friend_  of my Vayren."

Will held back his smirk as he saw the visible disdain in Vayren's expression.

"Thanks," he said while sitting in the chair beside Vayren. "Nice city you've got here."

"I do my best to keep the undesirables in line," she commented while closing the bottle of alcohol and sliding the glasses to each of them.

"I was in the same business for a while," Will mentioned as he picked up his glass. "Just without the actual official authority."

Seltara grinned. "Mm. Does that mean I have you to thank for that smoldering Eclipse depot?"

Will looked over to Vayren. The Spectre sighed and reached for his drink, but was clearly not happy about it.

"Yes, that was us," Vayren admitted. "But it was entirely self defense."

Seltara laughed and sat herself in the chair on the opposite side of the desk. "I'm sure it was. Spectre business?"

"No, actually," Vayren replied, having calmed himself slightly. "I'm offering a helping hand to Hume."

The salarian female looked between the two of them. "Oh? Then the two of you really are friends?"

"Sure." Will chuckled as he took a sip of his drink. "Is it really that hard to believe?"

Seltara shrugged. "For me? Absolutely! I was his only friend during our time with the STG. But maybe he's changed since he ran off to join the Spectres."

"'Ran off,'" Vayren repeated distastfully. "I was recruited, Seltara, you know that."

Will shook his head. "Hold on, slow down. So you two were in the STG together. I thought salarian women were more about politics and management."

"Salarian females who are born and raised on Sur'Kesh," Vayren corrected him. "But those from the Terminus Systems or even fringe colonial worlds don't always conform to the social norms."

Will took another sip of his drink. "Hmm. Guess that explains Malylen." He raised a brow and looked to Seltara. "So you're from the Terminus Systems?"

"Indeed," she replied.

"So how did you get into the STG?" Will asked, suddenly quite fascinated. "Did you know Vayren?"

Vayren laughed for the first time that night and downed a portion of his own drink. "No, no." He paused for a moment. "Actually, you may be partially correct. We met, so to speak, while I was doing reconnaissance for the STG. I was trying to gather intel on a warlord that the STG suspected was sneaking illegal weaponry into salarian space. But everytime got close I was detered by his security chief. Almost into his personal files? I get routed out by another user. Activating freshly planted listening bugs? Nothing comes through but static and a taunting laugh."

"I was young," Seltara interjected defensively. "I didn't know the full risks of transmitting my own recording back. Not to someone in the STG, at least."

Will grinned. It sounded as though she was making a preemptive counterpoint to an argument that she and Vayren had had many times.

Vayren lifted a hand, silencing her. "In the end, the STG went ahead and assassinated him. Then, a few days later, I recieved a message from her complaining that I had killed her source of income." He shook his head. "I tried to trace anything I could from the message but came up with nothing. It was impressive. I had only been in the STG for about a year, but I was one of the best hackers in my division and she was giving me a run for my money." Vayren's lips curled into a smile for a brief second. "I asked her if she was looking for a job and she-"

"I had no offers at the time," Seltara interjected. "So of course I was interested."

"And the STG let her in?" Will asked, curiously.

"She passed all of the qualifying exams," Vayren answered. "And the lure of a female who was already heavily experienced with Terminus criminal activity was enough to bring her aboard. She was a perfect candidate for our espionoge unit."

Will finished off his drink. "I'm surprised you would  _want_  to enlist in the STG," he said to Seltara.

The salarian chuckled. "The pay was muh higher than you might think."

"So I'm guessing you two became fast friends after that." Will mused.

Vayren shook his head quickly. "No, actually. I served in a different unit for about a year before I was transferred to a corporate espionage team. We got to know each other then." He looked over to Seltara. "She was kind enough to share some of her network tricks with me. The friendship grew from there."

Will leaned back in his chair and watched the two of them as they swallowed the last of their drinks.

"So, why did you end up here?" Will finally asked. "Paycheck in the private sector too good to pass up?"

Will regretted asking immediately. Vayren and Seltara both averted their eyes and tightened their expressions to that of a blank, unreadable slate. After a few moments of an awkward silence Vayren cleared his throat and stood up, speaking softly and deliberately.

"We had our drink, Seltara. Are we free to leave then?" The salarian had clear pain in his eyes.

"Woah, wait, I didn't mean anything by it," Will said quickly.

Seltara gave Will a brief look, discouraging him from pushing further. "Yes, Vayren." She let out a small sigh. "You and your aquaintences are free to go. But do try to be more careful in my sector. I only have so much sway here."

"Thank you," Vayren said simply.

The Spectre's next few words were the slowest Will had ever heard him speak.

"It was... good to see you again," Vayren managed to say.

Seltara smiled sincerely and stood to bow her head to him. "You're always welcome to visit, my friend," she said hopefully.

Will rose to his feet and nodded to the female. "Nice to meet you, Seltara. Thanks for cutting us a break on that, uh,  _alleged_  trouble."

She smirked lightly and shifted her eyes to Vayren. "I like your friend, Vayren. Do keep making more."

Vayren merely nodded in response before slowly turning himself toward the door. Will gave Seltara one last friendly smile as he followed the Spectre out, leaving the other to stand quietly behind her desk.

* * *

At Seltara's request, Will and the rest of the squad were given a ride back to the Kodiak by none other than the same officers that had attempted to arrest them. Fynnis made quick work of the shuttle's tracking programs and piloted it back to the  _Trueshot_  where it was easily loaded into the ship via the forward cargo airlock. Save for Will's brief explanation of why they were being released, the group was almost completely silent until they had landed inside the ship's cargo bay. Will jumped to the ground and slowly backed away from the Kodiak as the others exited after him.

"What are we going to do with this thing?" He asked to no one in particular.

Kay let out a grunt as she leapt to the floor. "What do you mean? Fynnis and I just got a free Kodiak."

"I guess that's one positive thing that we can take away from this experience," Fynnis said with a laugh. "Because I was pretty damn sure it was gonna be shit across the board."

"There's another positive," Will reminded him as Ralliston jumped out of the Kodiak. "Assuming Ralliston holds up his end of our agreement."

The tired turian looked up and met Will's gaze. Ralliston nodded slowly and took a deep breath.

"The names," the turian said. "Of course I'll honor my end." He continued to hold his eyes on Will unwaveringly. "Elizabeth and Daala. They're going by Elizabeth and Daala."

Will felt a surge of emotional weight lifted from his chest. "That's it? Nothing else?"

"I only know their common names," Ralliston answered. "But if we look for the two in conjunction with one another..."

Will glanced over to Vayren. "Do you mind?"

The salarian nodded. "I'll initiate an automated query on Illium's public record databases right away."

"Thank you." Will looked down at his dirty and slightly scorched armor as he spoke to himself. "We're getting close. I can feel it."


	13. Chapter 13

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 13**

_**ISV Trueshot, New Estrana, Illium** _

Will drummed his fingers idly as the holopad in front of him blinked in a perfect, repeating rhythm. He looked down at the screen, not concentrating on anything in particular as he waited for his vid-comm transmission to connect. It was late now, at least for New Estrana. Kay and Fynnis were in each of their respective quarters while Ralliston and Vayren caught a few hours of sleep in the bunkroom. Despite being desperately tired, Will had elected to wait in the crew's quarters until all of the others had retired for the night. Hopefully he would be able to get some sleep soon. The holopad blinked in alert and began fading in an image. Will sat up and smiled softly as the face of a matronly asari appeared on the screen and smiled back serenely. Behind her on the vid-screen was a gorgeous expanse of ocean lined on one side by the silhouette of towering asari skyscrapers.

" _William, you called."_  Orassa said happily.

"I said I would," Will replied.

The asari nodded once. _"But you must be busy."_

Will sighed softly and looked to the side. "Much busier than I'd like."

Orassa gave him a concerned frown.  _"Has your search been fruitful?"_

"Maybe," he answered quietly. "We found the only person who might know where my friends are. Now I'm just hoping that his information is still accurate."

" _Oh, William, I'm sorry."_  She raised the corner of her mouth in a small smile.  _"But you are making progress, no?"_

"I am. At least, I think I am." Will turned his full attention back to the screen. "You know, I really didn't call to complain about my troubles. I actually wanted to know how  _you_ were doing."

The asari's smile grew much wider. She closed her eyes and took in a deep breath before exhaling calmly and looking back to him.

" _I feel as good as I could ever hope to do be,"_  Orassa said in a tone of pure bliss.  _"Seeing my daughters and granddaughters again... seeing their faces after they spent over three years believing I was dead."_  Her voice trailed off for a moment.  _"It was the most beautiful feeling that has ever touched me."_

Will smiled warmly at the thought. "That sounds wonderful. Are you still settling in now that you're back home?"

" _I've settled,"_  she answered happily.  _"It only took a few days, believe it or not. A long jog on the beach after breakfast every morning. A few hours of vid-comms and answering 'welcome home' messages afterward. Visiting with family as they stop by in the afternoons... hopefully soon I will have some time to get back to my artwork. I have a few pieces that I started on before setting out on my last tour as cartographer and they are in desperate need of finishing."_

Will grinned lightly. "Damn, don't go too crazy!"

Orassa laughed and shook her head.  _"It has been good to be home."_  She paused briefly, her smile fading quickly.  _"Though there is one thing that has been clinging to me. The others, William. The ones we left behind..."_

Will straightened himself in his chair. "I'm glad you brought them up," he stated. "I've had a friend who knows his way around military procedure watching some of the low security reports from the Alliance. He helped me find an after-action report from a little over a week ago in which an Alliance special forces unit extracted over a hundred slaves from a labor camp. And wouldn't you know it... the camp was in the Pamyat System."

The asari's eyes looked as though they were an inch away from tearing up. She held up a hand and averted her gaze as she took in a few calming breaths.

" _I don't know if I've ever felt more relief,"_  she finally managed to say after a small laugh.

"You and me both," he said quietly.

Orassa gave him a sad smile.  _"Then it was worth it all. We made it out, William. We made it home. I'm with my family and soon you will find your loved ones."_

Will let out a near-defeated sigh. "Soon." He closed his eyes. "God, let it be soon."

* * *

Ralliston had been standing at one of the workbenches in the  _Trueshot_  cargo bay for nearly an hour. From what Will had seen after checking in on him a few times, the turian was doing nothing than stripping and reassembling his rifle repeatedly. Ralliston either did not notice or not care that Will was keeping a close eye on him. After the fifth check in over the course of an hour, Will finally decided to approach the turian and stand beside him for a few minutes as he worked.

"Are you looking for something?" Ralliston abruptly asked after a long bout of silence.

Will shook his head and watched as the turian carefully slid the oversized heatsink into its place in his heavy rifle.

"Right this second? No." Will crossed his arms. "But you're on my friend's ship so I'm going to be damned sure that you aren't causing problems." He chuckled bitterly. "You're lucky Kay even let you on board. I wouldn't have."

Ralliston came to a stop on his work and turned to face Will. "How long is this going to go on? I'd like to know now. I know you hate me, Hume. But I swear that I do regret it all. I do." He let out an irritated sigh. "I wanna make amends, but I can't do that if you're going to-"

"I don't want you to make amends," Will interrupted harshly.

The two fell quiet. Will looked to the side and shook his head. He wasn't sure if he really meant it, but he did know that being angry would feel so much better than forgiving him. At least for a little while.

"Okay," Will relented slowly. "Maybe... that's not true."

Ralliston nodded lightly. "I know what I did. I know that you trusted me. But-"

Will held up a hand to silence him. "Let's just stop." He sighed heavily. "I'll make an effort to put up with you. But if you step out of line for a  _second,_  I will make you regret it."

The turian stared Will down before taking in a deep breath and nodding. "I always thought you were a little too soft," he said. "Guess I was wrong." Ralliston held out a hand. "I'm on your side, Hume. I promise."

Reluctantly, Will reached forward and grabbed the hand, shaking it once. As their hands parted, Will glanced over to the workbench and nodded.

"You've been working on this thing for hours."

Ralliston turned to face the weapon. "Familiarizing myself with some new modifications. Had them installed right before the RMC sent me here to infiltrate the Eclipse."

"I'm surprised Kallux wanted you of all people to do espionage work," Will mused.

"It wasn't his idea," Ralliston informed him. "It was actually pretty tough to convince him."

Will looked over to the turian suspiciously. "Why did you want it so badly?"

The turian held his tongue for a few seconds before responding.

"Because I knew Shansa and Eleena were here," he said. "They wanted nothing to do with me or Kallux or the Collective in general, so I had to keep tabs on them from afar. I thought making sure they were okay after you disappeared would be a good first step toward atonement."

"So you've been spying on them?" Will asked with a hint of anger.

"I wouldn't call it spying," Ralliston answered cautiously. "Hell, I don't even know what became of them after they got here. I was going to start looking for them but then all this shit with the Eclipse fucked up those plans."

Will crossed his arms and leaned his back against the wall. Ralliston had returned to tinkering with his weapon, but he was now working on the mass accelerator calibrations.

"What happened to everyone?" Will managed to ask. "After you all stopped looking for my body."

Ralliston's movements slowed. The question had clearly taken him off guard.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

Will exhaled calmly. "Where did they go? Why did everyone disappear?"

Ralliston shook his head. "We looked for you for a couple of weeks, but we knew there was no chance of finding you after the first few days. Shansa, Eleena and I would stay out in the shuttle for hours, making the trip back to Omega to rest, then head back out. We were all doing pretty badly when it came time to give up the search." He gave up on working for the time being and turned to Will. "T'lees stayed behind to watch Tul while he was in the med-center recovering. Took him nearly a month before he was well enough to leave and by then we had long since wiped our ID numbers out of fear that Cerberus might still be looking for us."

"But you didn't stick together," Will noted.

"No," the turian answered quietly. "Tul was the first to take off. He said he had to finish something and we never heard back from him. Next it was Shansa and Eleena. They said they had to get back to living their lives, and they didn't want me to be a part of it." He looked to the floor. "They didn't trust me. The two of them left without telling me anything about where they were going. I'm sure they suspected I had something to do with Cerberus showing up on the Citadel."

"And they were right," Will pointed out as he narrowed his eyes.

"That they were," Ralliston answered shamefully.

Will raised a brow. "What about T'lees?"

The turian shrugged. "I think Eleena and Shansa wanted her to come with them, but she said no. I begged her to give me the names that Eleena and Shansa had taken up when they left. She must have felt pity for me. Either way, she agreed and vanished a few days later as well. That's when I went crawling back to the RMC."

"So no one knows where Tul'Sorrin went?" Will asked again.

"Maybe the others do, but I sure as hell don't," Ralliston answered.

Before Will could continue his omnitool buzzed to alert him of a hail. He reached down and activated the comm before raising it to his mouth to speak.

"Hello?"

" _Hume, my query is complete. I think you'll be happy with the results,"_  Vayren's voice reported.

Will smiled and immediately turned to walk toward the door as he answered. "I'll be right there."

Ralliston placed the loose weapon components in his hands back onto the table and hurried to catch up as Will jogged to the door. The two of them headed down the starboard hallway and up the stairs at the end to ascend to the operations deck. Ahead of them, at the center of the operations center, Vayren stood at the large meeting table with a few digital documents hovering in the holoprojector. Kay and Fynnis were standing on the other side of the table next to one another, watching the salarian curiously as he finished sorting his data. Will slowed and came to a stop at Vayren's side.

"That was quick," the Spectre mused.

"Well you teased me with good news," Will replied. "Can't ignore that. So where is it?"

Vayren stepped back and nodded to a document on the screen. "Right there."

"Are you really going to make us read the whole thing?" Fynnis asked with mock irritation.

The salarian rolled his eyes. "It's an immigration form. One of two filed the same afternoon. This one is for Elizabeth Brooks, the other for Daala Narrin."

Will felt his heart begin to race with excitement. "The other documents?" He nodded toward another on the left side of the screen.

"Transaction records with a taxi company. They've been using one almost every night for the past month," Vayren explained.

"Any idea where the taxis are taking them?" Kay asked.

"Unfortunately, no," Vayren answered. "But I would be willing to bet the taxi company has those logs at their headquarters."

Will looked over to the salarian and tried his best to hide is excitement. "Then what the hell are we standing here for?"

* * *

After a short debate, Will was able to convince Kay that flying around in the freshly-stolen Kodiak emblazoned with Eclipse logos might cause more trouble than they needed. Instead, Will, Kay and Vayren had opted to hail a cab owned by the very company whose headquarters they were visiting. Fynnis had reluctantly agreed to stay behind and keep an eye on Ralliston, under the conditions that the team would return if the less-than-trustworthy turian started acting in any way suspicious. After a short ride the cab touched down at one of the hundreds of corporate high-rises in New Estrana and deposited them by the main entrance.

"Think we'll get what we want?" Kay asked as they stepped up a short flight of stairs.

"Not entirely," Will answered. "Because what I want is to see them in front of me right now. But I do think we'll get something."

"We should," Vayren assured them. "Assuming the employees are not difficult to persuade."

The trio stepped through a large door and into the towering office foyer. The design was quickly becoming rather repetitious as compared to the rest of New Estrana, Will mused to himself. Will led the three of them to desk at the center of the room with a sign reading "Information" and came to a stop at the center. A young asari woman behind the desk smiled up to them.

"Hello, how may I help you?"

"We're looking for some records," Will answered. "A few friends of mine have been renting cabs and we need their flight logs."

The asari gave them a diplomatic frown. "Oh, I'm sorry, but that information is confidential."

"These are friends that we desperately need to find," Vayren argued quickly.

"And, unfortunately, it is our company policy to keep all such records confidential," she rebutted.

Vayren shook his head. "If you do not surrender the data then I will be forced to requisition it."

"I'm sorry, but I'll need to contact one of my supervisors," the asari said as she tapped a command into her omnitool.

A few seconds later the door of a nearby office slid open and another asari marched out while talking into an earpiece. This one clearly had no diplomatic facade and was fully prepared to push back with full strength. The asari shook her head irritably and terminated the call as she approached. She came to a stop beside the receptionist and leaned in as she was briefed in a whisper. The supervisor nodded once and turned to face the guests with a predatory gaze.

"By whose authority do believe you'll be accessing our files?" She asked firmly.

"The Citadel Council's," Vayren answered quietly. "Now, please cooperate so we can stop wasting time."

The asari shook her head, completely unfazed. "I'll need to see some identification."

Kay crossed her arms and let out an exaggerated sigh. "My god, just give us the data! If you don't then we're  _just_  going to break in and steal it."

Will and Vayren gave her a brief, disapproving glare. She shrugged and looked off to the side.

"Well it's true," she muttered.

"Yes, fine," Vayren said irritably.

He raised his omnitool to access his Spectre security codes and transmitted them to the asari as she retrieved a holopad from the desk behind her. The asari began tapping through the documents, occasionally shifting her eyes back to Vayren.

"I'll have to contact the Citadel directly to confirm this," she said challengingly.

"I highly suggest you do not," Vayren snapped. "Those codes are completely valid and you know it."

The asari and salarian stared one another down for a long while. Will grew slightly nervous by the two silent, authoritative stares they shared. Thankfully, the ambient chatter of a few dozen others in the lobby repelled what would have been an unnerving quiet. At long last, the asari pursed her lips and nodded.

"Fine. What files do you need?"

"Two people have been renting a cab almost every night," Will answered for Vayren. "We need to know where they're going to and from."

The asari looked over her shoulder to the receptionist. "Relta, assist them. Alert me if they become trouble," she said icily while turning for her office.

Kay snarled tauntingly at the asari as she walked away while Will and Vayren rounded the desk to stand behind the receptionist. She opened a panel on her console and looked to either side where they stood.

"Elizabeth Brooks and Daala Narrin," Will said slowly.

Relta nodded and entered the two names. A list of results appeared almost instantly, showing at least two dozen rentals in the past month. The receptionist sorted them by the date of rental and sent the list directly to Vayren. The Spectre opened his omnitool to verify he had received the data and gave a quick, thankful nod to the asari.

"That will do," he said politely. "Thank you. If we need anything else I'm sure we will be back."

Will ushered Vayren toward the door, leaving Kay to hurry after the two of them and out the door. As they stepped outside, Will leaned closer to Vayren impatiently.

"Settle down," Vayren scolded. "My word, I've barely had the data for thirty seconds."

"Forgive me for being a tad anxious," Will remarked.

Vayren rolled his eyes and activated his omnitool once again. He scrolled down to the list of recent cab flights and scanned the information with Will and Kay peering over his shoulder.

"They've been leaving from different places every night," Kay observed.

"But they've  _gone_  to the same place six nights in a row," Will noted in response.

"Yes, a 'Club Euphoria,'" Vayren added.

The three of them exchanged a quick look.

"Who's up for a night at the club?" Kay asked with a grin.


	14. Chapter 14

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 14**

_**ISV Trueshot, New Estrana, Illium** _

Will, Ralliston and Kay stood around the meeting table at the center of the operations center watching patiently as Vayren and Fynnis sorted images on the holo-projector. Will felt anxious. Vayren was clearly an expert at gathering intel, and Fynnis had proven himself capable, but something felt undeniably wrong. Tul'Sorrin was supposed to be the one giving him the rundown of their next action. Will closed his eyes and took a deep breath, holding it until Fynnis cleared his throat to get the attention of the group.

"So, who thought this would be as easy as walking up to the front door?" The turian chuckled. "No one? Damn, you people are jaded."

"Experienced," Kay rebutted with a grin. "Give us the situation."

"We've done a fair amount of research," Vayren began. "'Club Euphoria' is an  _exceptionally_  exclusive nightclub. The only people who get in are members of a small group of incredibly wealthy or powerful players on Illium. And, of course, those they invite. Even I could not locate a roster of club members hosted on the extranet, which means manufacturing a fake ID and adding it to the roster will be impossible."

"I was able to find some information about the building it's in," Fynnis continued while bringing up a holographic image of the skyscraper. "The club's up here, spanning both the fifty-first and fifty-second floors. We didn't see any obvious ways in from this public holo image."

Vayren nodded and walked up closer to examine the image. "Which means we will need to infiltrate the building here," he pointed to a point near the base, "in order to gain access to the building's network and security. From there I imagine we'll be able to acquire a detailed version of the building's layout. And, with that, a way into the club."

"Why not just wait for them wherever the taxi drops them off?" Will asked.

"The entrance to the club is inside the building, so we can't just wait for them at the door. On top of that, the club is serviced by this private parking unit on the fiftieth floor, and the entrance is secured." Fynnis looked over to Will. "If we can find a way to force open that garage, that might be our ticket in."

"Don't you think the people in the club might get a little antsy when someone breaks into the security room?" Ralliston asked.

"It's a large building," Vayren answered him. "If we strike when we know Shansa and Eleena will be in the club there's a significant chance no one will even know they are being attacked."

"Speaking of which," Will interjected while leaning forward. "How are we supposed to know when Shansa and Eleena are there?"

Fynnis chuckled. "Patterns, pal. According to those flight records you obtained, they've been arriving within a fifteen minute window every night. We launch before then, make sure we handle everything we need to..." He snapped his fingers. "Easy as that."

"Oh, I'm sure it will be easy," Will said with a sarcastic roll of his eyes. "Everything up to now has been, after all."

"Infiltration happens to be a specialty of mine," Vayren reminded him. "If I head in alone I can get what we need without even alerting them to our presence."

Kay raised a brow. "And if you get caught?"

The salarian sighed. "I won't, but if I do, I can handle myself."

"I admire your optimism, but I don't want any chance for this to go wrong," Will said decisively. "And since you're worried as well, why don't you go with him, Kay?"

She and the salarian shared mistrustful looks.

"I guess I could," Kay said slowly and cautiously. "He hasn't arrested me yet."

Vayren rolled his eyes. "Refrain from committing any crimes that would disrupt galactic stability and it'll stay that way."

"So what are we doing while they take care of security?" Ralliston asked from his corner of the table.

Fynnis crossed his arms and stared at the image in contemplation. "We don't want to alert them of any potential problems before Kay and Vayren are into their network. Plus, we don't even know how we'll end up getting into the club." He looked over to Will. "I suggest we take the Kodiak and circle nearby until the security situation is taken care of."

Vayren nodded in agreement. "My thoughts as well."

Will let out a small, nervous sigh and glanced over to Vayren and Kay. "Are you sure you can handle this? The two of you?"

"I've never had a partner I wasn't able to work with," the salarian quipped.

Kay nodded confidently. "We can do it, Willie. Don't worry yourself."

"I'm trusting you," he replied. "Now when does this kick off?"

"I'd suggest we drop Vayren and Kay off in about six hours," Fynnis answered. "That's about an hour before Shansa and Eleena typically arrive."

Will looked around the table with a small smile. "Then I'll see everyone in the Kodiak in five and half."

* * *

The next few hours were excruciating. Will spent most of them wandering the halls of the  _Trueshot_  with no particular destination, all while shrugging off the occasional question of whether or not he was alright as asked by passing comrades. After a while he found himself in the operations center, standing quietly in the corner of the large room and staring at the holographic image of the skyscraper. Will looked blankly toward the image for far too long before tearing his eyes away and shaking his head, trying his best to urge himself toward something else that might occupy his mind until it was time to go. Unfortunately he never found that something.

"You ready to gear up?"

Will blinked and looked to his left to see Kay stepping out of her quarters.

"Uh, yeah, I guess," he answered quietly.

She frowned. "You sure you're okay?"

Will turned and made his way toward her and the stairs down to the lower level of the ship. "Not really. But it's just nerves, though. It'll pass."

"It'll pass once you have them back, yeah?" Kay asked.

"I hope so," he answered.

The two hurried down to the crew deck and into the cargo bay where Ralliston, Fynnis and Vayren were already strapping on their armor. No one spoke a word as they all methodically equipped each piece of their gear. As he equipped his borrowed hardsuit, Will made a mental note to start shopping around on the extranet for a set of his own. After they had finished checking their systems, the group jumped into the Kodiak and, with Fynnis at the helm, disembarked from the  _Trueshot_.

"You remember the plan?" Vayren asked Kay.

"Yeah, of course," she answered. "You sneak around doing all the hard work while I make sure no one catches us off-guard."

The salarian sat back against his seat. "I suppose that's a fair enough summary."

"I'm bringing us down around the corner from the building's public entrance," Fynnis called from the cockpit. "We might attract a little attention if I just drop you off at the front door."

"Good thinking," Vayren commended.

Kay and the Spectre pulled themselves to their feet and stepped up to the still-closed hatch. The sound of whining thrusters grew louder as Fynnis kicked in enough downward thrust to bring them to a hover just above the ground. The turian tapped a few commands into the controls and unlocked the hatch, allowing Vayren to send it sliding open. The Kodiak was hovering in what looked like an alleyway, far enough from the main thoroughfares that, hopefully, no one would notice the insertion of two heavily armored individuals. Vayren departed first and quickly began scanning their surroundings as backblast from the shuttle's thrusters kicked up dirt and loose debris all around him. Kay glanced over her shoulder to Will and gave him a playful wink just before leaping to the ground with surprising poise. Ralliston, who was standing near the back of the shuttle, reached forward and closed the hatch after them.

"They're out," he called up to Fynnis.

"Taking us back up," the pilot said.

A few seconds later, Vayren's voice crackled over the comm.

" _We're heading into what looks like a maintenance door here in the alley,"_  he informed them.  _"Excellent drop point, Fynnis."_

The turian snorted. "Oh, yeah, thanks," he said jokingly. "All my planning paid off. I scouted it out for days to make sure we had the right spot."

Will smirked softly and shook his head.

" _Intentional or not, we're in a good position,"_  Vayren replied, ignoring the sarcasm.

" _The Spectre's giving you a compliment, Fyn,"_ Kay added.  _"Now say thanks before he assassinates you for disrespecting him."_

Fynnis let out an unrestrained laugh as he pushed the thrusters for full capacity and sent them up into the lanes of traffic around the building. Feeling a tad restless, Will stood from the bench he had been sitting on and stepped up to the cockpit door. Fynnis locked the Kodiak into its flight pattern and glanced over his shoulder to where Will stood, eying him curiously.

"Need something?" He asked.

Will looked past him to one of the small viewports. The sun had just set, leaving a dazzling array of fading colors to dance across the clouds.

"Just wanted to distract myself for a bit," he answered after a few seconds. "Damn the views are nice here."

Fynnis looked back to the controls and nodded. "That they are."

" _Alright, I'm in their network,"_  Vayren's voice suddenly reported.  _"Security appears to be on the third floor. Kay, do you see anything down to the left?"_

" _Just another hallway,"_  she answered.

" _Hm. There should be a flight of stairs through one of the doors near the end, follow me."_

Will took a long, deep breath and turned back from the cockpit. Ralliston still stood leaning against the back wall, his arms crossed and eyes pointed toward the floor. Will watched him for a minute or so until the turian looked up, catching his eye.

"What?" Ralliston asked.

Will shook his head once. "Nothing." He hesitated for a moment. "I just feel like I should tell you... I'm grateful you're helping."

The turian shook his head. "It's the least I could do. Seriously. If I could do more..."

"You can do more when I trust you to do more," Will interrupted.

Ralliston sighed. "Fair enough."

" _We've found the security room,"_ Vayren announced.  _"Stealth field generator engaged, Kay-"_

" _I know, watch your back,"_  she answered, with a surprisingly professional tone.

" _I'm going to get in and plant a few routing devices in their hardware,"_ he narrated to the group.  _"Once they're in place we can move to another area nearby and work from there."_

" _I saw some empty rooms before we hit the stairs,"_ Kay suggested.

" _Excellent. Moving in now."_

Will tapped his foot anxiously as he listened to the mission's progress. He had been worried about missions before, and on more than one occasion he had been downright scared, but he had never been this anxious. To be so close...

" _Everything is in place,"_  Vayren reported a few minutes later.  _"Heading toward the exit now."_

" _I'm moving toward the stairs,"_  Kay told him.  _"Meet you there."_

" _I've got the building's blueprints,"_ Vayren said.  _"Hume, I'm uploading them to you know. I've only take a cursory glance, but it seems like the freight elevator on the roof is your best bet."_

"What about the garage?" Will asked with a frown.

" _It has a large security detail. Getting inside and staking out the front door is out of the realm of possibility. Nevermind the fact that you're in an Eclipse shuttle and have no clearance to show them if they come to ask question."_

Will opened up his omnitool and retrieved the data. Ralliston finally moved from his spot near the back of the shuttle to look over his shoulder as Will opened the blueprints Vayren had sent. He found the elevator shaft that Vayren had referred to and followed it down to a stop on the fifty-second floor.

"Okay, it looks like that elevator would put us above the club," he responded. "I see a bunch of metal beams that cross over it. We might be able to assume positions up there. It'd give us a perfect view of most of the club floor."

" _Good. Kay and I are setting up in a room nearby. Fynnis, I would suggest getting ready to deposit Will and Ralliston on the roof of the building,"_ Vayren suggested.  _"I'm in the process of hacking into the elevator's control system."_

"You got it," Fynnis answered. "Breaking from the holding pattern."

The Kodiak lifted and soared upward as Fynnis put them on a direct course to the top of the skyscraper.

"Fynnis, keep the Kodiak nearby in case either group needs a quick exfil," Will ordered.

"Read my mind," he replied as the door unlatched and slid open.

Will turned to look out the open hatch where thousands of lights dazzled in the night's skyline. He took a step closer and placed his hand on the bulkhead to stabilize himself while the shuttle descended toward a landing pad on top of the building. The Kodiak roared as it came to a slightly less-than-graceful hover just above the landing zone, allowing Will and Ralliston to jump to the floor and run toward cover. He glanced back over his shoulder to watch as the shuttle kicked back into gear and disappear into another lane of traffic a few hundred meters above them.

"We're on the roof," Will reported.

" _Good. I've got control of the elevators and I'm sending a car up there now. All security measures on the elevator itself have been lifted."_

"Understood," Will answered.

He quickly scanned the roof and spotted a large pair of doors at the end of the landing area with an obvious elevator symbol painted on both. Will glanced to Ralliston and was met with a single nod, giving them both the signal to stand and run toward the doors.

"Uh, you're taking care of the cameras up here, right?" Will asked as he looked around worriedly.

" _Hume, please, I'm a professional,"_  Vayren replied smoothly.

Kay chuckled.  _"Don't worry, Will, I reminded him."_

Will let out a small sigh of relief as he and Ralliston slowed to a stop in front of the two doors. Almost like clockwork, the door on the right blinked and slid apart to reveal a large, empty elevator car with floors and walls long-scuffed and worn from frequent use. The two of them stepped inside, weapons still stowed on their backs, and looked for the control panel. Will spotted it near the back and tapped in their destination: floor fifty-two.

"We're headed down," Will informed them.

" _I don't see anyone by the elevator doors on floor fifty-two,"_ Vayren said, sounding unconvinced by his own words.  _"I imagine it is normally only allowed to stop on this floor for scheduled deliveries."_

Will and Ralliston shared a quick look.

"Be ready, just in case," Will said quietly.

The turian nodded in understanding. As the elevator ground to a halt, Will placed his hand on his hip, ready to grab his pistol if necessary. The door slid open to empty darkness. The sound of muffled club music thumped idly, originating from somewhere off in the distance where a room full of the wealthy and powerful awaited. Will took a single step out of the elevator and looked to either side. In both directions were long, empty hallways with dim, blue lights shining from the ceiling. Will slid out of the elevator, turned right, and subconsciously pressed himself close to one of the walls as he walked forward. He heard Ralliston exit behind him before the elevator doors slid shut.

"We're off the elevator," Will said quietly.

" _Everything okay so far?"_  Kay asked.

Will smirked. "Surprisingly."

" _The club floor should be in the same direction that the doors opened to,"_  Vayren informed them.

"So, left?" Ralliston asked.

"Yes," Will answered.

" _I see the rafter beams you were referring to in the blueprints,"_  Vayren added.  _"I'm guessing they're at least five feet wide."_

"I see them," Will said.

He and Ralliston had reached a point in the hall where one side of the wall had opened up to reveal the club below. Music that was almost deafeningly loud was now echoing all around them. Every few meters in their perch one of the metal rafters extended out over the floor, hidden by the darkness of the club ceiling. Will peered over to see the floor littered with people drinking, dancing or simply talking. They were at least fifteen meters above them, which combined with the darkness would hopefully keep them safe from any wandering eyes. Will stepped up near one of the beams and jumped up onto the hallway's railing, allowing him to easily climb out above the club floor. Ralliston quickly joined him and the two slowly shimmied their way toward the center of the beam to give them the largest viewing angle possible.

"We're in position," Will said as he slowly came to a stop and peered over the edge.

He quickly began scanning the crowd for familiar faces as Ralliston did the same over the opposite side of the metal beam.

" _Excellent. I got myself into the network of security cameras in the garage. I'll watch for them in case they have not arrived."_

"You're a life saver, Vayren," Will said with a small smile. "When do they usually show up?"

" _We're about ten minutes ahead of their average arrival time,"_  Fynnis answered.

"Not seeing anything yet," Ralliston mentioned.

Will was busy combing his eyes across the people below, but still responded a few seconds later. "Me neither."

Even a quick glance at the crowd was enough to see the difference between Club Euphoria and the average Illium nightclub. All the patrons were well dressed in high-end fashion, both men and women alike. There were dozens of people scattered around that appeared to be the "guests of honor," so to speak, as they were surrounded by small groups of onlookers all vying for their attention. A young-looking turian at the bar had two or three asari and human women practically throwing themselves onto him, while an older, sharply dressed asari sat in a booth with over half a dozen others hanging on her every word. Those two or any other of the dozen centers of attention scattered about could be the most powerful person in New Estrana, Will reminded himself. He looked over his shoulder to make sure he was concealed well on the beam.

"Yeah, I don't see them," Ralliston sighed. "Must not be here yet."

"Alright, I'll keep an eye on the entry, you watch some of the other doors scattered around." Will turned his attention to the door. "They could always be in a back room somewhere."

"Understood," the turian acknowledged.

Will smirked lightly. "How many of these people do you think deserve to be in prison?"

Ralliston chuckled. "Depends, we talking Illium laws, or Citadel Council laws?"

"Good point," Will admitted. "From what I hear, Illium can get pretty rough for anyone who isn't backed by a corporation."

"Or a gang," Ralliston noted. "All of which are probably backed by a corporation at some point."

The next half-hour was spent in quiet contemplation as Will's eyes remained steadfast on the door. Dozens of patrons had come and gone, but not one had been the human or asari he was waiting for. He was growing anxious again. The infiltration had taken his mind off of the possibility of failure for the time being, but the distraction was proving to be only a temporary cure of his ailment.

"I hope they didn't decide to skip tonight," Will said quietly.

"I'm sure they'll show up," Ralliston answered. "They're only a few minutes behind average."

A few minutes was still enough to cause concern.

" _Hume! I have something."_ The comm jumped to life with Vayren's voice.

Will continued to watch the door intently. "Something?" He demanded.

" _It's a taxi from the same company that... yes!"_ He interrupted himself.  _"It's them, I see them stepping out of the skycar."_

An uncontrollable smile spread across Will's face. "You're sure it's them?"

" _It's them,"_  Kay quickly chimed in.  _"I'm looking at Shansa now... oh my god..."_

Kay's voice had a tone of vulnerability Will had rarely, if ever, heard from her. "Okay, what are they doing?"

" _They're headed to the door,"_  Vayren answered.  _"They have checked in with security and-"_

Will had stopped listening. The door had slid apart and down below him, at the far end of the club, Shansa and Eleena had stepped into the room. Will could hear his heartbeat racing in his ears and tried his best to control his breath.

"I see them," he said quietly. "I see them."

A year and a half of heartache and despair was suddenly and unceremoniously cast aside to be replaced by pure joy. Shansa was wearing a long, elegant dark-blue dress that flowed like a waterfall around her legs as she walked toward one of the corners of the room immediately after entering. Eleena was right behind her, and for the first time that Will had ever seen, was wearing a dress as well. It was much shorter than Shansa's, more formfitting and a deep shade of red. Will watch with wide eyes as they came to a stop and turned to one another. They leaned in close. Will's elation froze. The pair were too far away for him to see anything but Eleena's arms wrapping around Shansa and pulling her into a tight embrace.

"Oh no," Will muttered under his breath.

Just like that, the two of them parted and Shansa began meandering toward the bar. Eleena followed nonchalantly a few feet behind her before stopping about half-way down the bar and turning to catch the bartender's attention. Kay's voice gave him a slight jump and tore him from his trance.

" _Will! What's happening?"_

"They're at the bar," he said. "I need to find a way down there."

" _In full combat gear?"_  Fynnis asked.

"I can't let them slip away," Will replied. "Ralliston, do you see a way down?"

The turian shook his head. "No, but I can head back to the catwalk and look for some stairs."

"Do it," Will ordered.

Eleena was still sitting at the bar, now sipping a drink. Shansa, however, had made her way to the very end where she was met by the happy faces of the turian Will had spotted earlier and the handful of women that surrounded him. The turian beckoned her over before waving for the bartender. Somewhere behind him, Ralliston was inching his way back toward the balcony they had climbed up to the rafters from. Will was getting ready to turn back when he saw Eleena suddenly check her omnitool and stand up from her seat as she turned toward Shansa. As the asari darted past bar patrons, Shansa assertively slid up close to the turian and around to his back. She leaned close enough to whisper over his shoulder while lifting a leg and planting it on a bar stool. Her right hand grabbed the bottom of her dress and pulled it up just over the knee where she revealed and grabbed a pistol that quickly found its way to the back of the turian's neck. The gaggle of woman yelped and jumped away just as Eleena pushed herself up to stand in front of the turian, mouthing something commanding to him that was lost in the loud music and ambient chatter of the club.

"Fuck," Will muttered.

Screams and looks of confusion began to spill across the crowd like tidal waves.

" _What's wrong?"_  Kay quickly asked.

Will turned and began scrambling toward the end of the beam. "This just got a lot more complicated."


	15. Chapter 15

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 15**

_**Club Euphoria, New Estrana, Illium** _

" _More complicated?"_  Kay asked with gripping urgency.

Will jumped from the beam down to the balcony. Ralliston was already running to look for a way down to the club floor, giving Will a second to turn and look back over the railing. Half of the patrons in the club were in a panic and the handful of security personnel were just now looking around for the cause of the commotion. But Shansa and Eleena were quick. The turian they had attacked was being pushed forward with the barrel of Shansa's gun pushing against the back of his neck while Eleena shoved bystanders aside. They were nearly to the door already.

" _More complicated?!"_ She repeated.

"Shansa and Eleena pulled a gun on someone," Will finally answered. "What the hell are they  _doing_?" He asked under his breath.

" _Damn it,"_  Vayren muttered.  _"We'll try to get up there to help!"_

Two security guards near the door had drawn their weapons and were shouting for the club's customers to get on the floor.

"No!" Will shouted in objection to the salarian. "Do what you can to disrupt security! Disable comms, unlock all the doors, whatever you can think of."

" _I- yes, understood,"_  the Spectre complied.

"Hume! Got a ladder here!" Ralliston called.

Without looking, Will set off in the direction of Ralliston's voice, still watching the floor as he ran along the balcony. Shansa, Eleena and their hostage were no more than twenty feet away from the exit now, and the two guards had a clear shot on them. Will reached to his back instinctively to retrieve his rifle and provide cover, but stopped as he saw a biotic throw toss one of the guards aside. The second opened fire almost immediately, but wasn't fast enough. Eleena had erected a biotic barrier around herself, Shansa and the turian as they sprinted for the door.

"Will!" Ralliston called.

He came to a sudden stop just a few feet away from running into Ralliston. The turian motioned toward a ladder that Will jumped onto without hesitation and began descending toward the lower floor. The two of them hit the ground and pushed their way past some oversized drapes and onto the club floor where Shansa, Eleena and the turian were nowhere to be seen. A handful of security officers were sprinting toward the open door, however, shouting vehemently into their headsets. Will and Ralliston set off toward the door behind them, being met by the occasional scream of passing patrons. They reached the front door shortly after the security team and stepped into a short hallway ending at yet another set of doors.

" _Anything you need me to do?"_  Fynnis asked.

"Not sure yet," Will responded, still giving chase. "We're following them into the garage, I'll keep everyone updated."

As Will and Ralliston passed through the second set of doors and into the valet area they were met with surprised looks from three security guards on full alert. Their cohorts, still chasing Shansa and Eleena, had sprinted by seconds earlier and were weaving into the group of parked skycars nearby.

"Who the fuck are you?" One of the turian guards demanded. "What the  _fuck_ is going on?"

Will ignored him and continued toward the group of cars with Ralliston at his side. For a few seconds they were given only shouts of "Stop" by the guards they had passed, but such shouts were quickly replaced by gunfire. Their shields blocked the few bullets that hit them before they rounded a corner into one of the rows of skycars. Near the end of the row a blue skycar had kicked up and was blasting toward the large set of bay doors that opened into the night sky.

"That's them," Will said confidently. "Fynnis, they're coming out of garage now, can you track and tail them?"

" _I see them, on it."_

"We need a car," Will declared.

Ralliston was already a step ahead of him. Will gave a double take as he looked to the side where the turian was running toward a parked skycar.

"What are you-"

"Getting us a car," Ralliston answered.

The turian came to a stop near the back of the car and grabbed the rifle from his back. The brought the stock down on a panel, ripping it off and revealing a collection of circuitry below it. Ralliston activated his omnitool and began tapping through a series of buttons that soon resulted in the glass canopy letting out a small hiss while sliding open. The two of them jumped in with Will opting to take the passenger seat as Ralliston took the pilot. The turian disabled the auto-pilot function and pushed the car into full gear, speeding toward the open door.

"Didn't know you knew how to break into a skycar," Will admitted. "Or fly one."

"I grew up without, uh, strong moral guidance," Ralliston reminded him. "Got a few hotwire programs that still work on new models."

" _I've got a marker for myself and their skycar,"_  Fynnis informed them.  _"They're not receiving my hails. Probably ripped out all their comm equipment to prevent tracking."_

"Perfect," Will muttered.

Will reached down to his omnitool and set the two new markers he had received as priority, causing two blips to pop up on his HUD. Fynnis and the skycar were just over a kilometer away, and it seemed as though Ralliston had chosen their stolen skycar well. They were closing fast.

" _Hume, what's your status?"_  Vayren asked.

Damn. Will shook his head out of irritation with himself. During his complete fixation on the chase they had left Vayren and Kay back at the tower.

"We're catching up," Will informed them. "You two should probably get out of there. They might send the whole place into lock down."

" _Way ahead of ya,"_  Kay chimed in.  _"We've got your markers, we'll try to find some transport to follow up."_

Ralliston was doing far better at flying the skycar than Will could have anticipated. He wondered how many of them the turian had broken into and stolen when he was a teenager on Omega. The marker for Shansa and Eleena's skycar was growing closer, but they were clearly trying their best to lose Fynnis. And it seemed to be working. The Kodiak's indicator was slowly starting to lag behind as the skycar made sharp turns and daring dives through clearly nontraditional routes.

" _That's not good,"_  Fynnis commented.

Will and Ralliston shared a concerned glance.

" _What's not good?"_  Kay shouted in response.  _"You can't just say those words and not elaborate, ya damn bird!"_

" _Looks like we've got two more skycars closing in,"_  the turian explained.  _"Aaand they're shooting. Perfect."_

"Ralliston?" Will asked with a sigh.

"Going as fast as I can," he replied.

Their stolen skycar ducked below a bridge and banked hard right, putting them in a wide lane of traffic with buildings boxing them in on either side for what looked like nearly a kilometer. Ahead of them they could see the two markers and the blue skycar and Kodiak they belonged to, as well as two erratically flying skycars with faint muzzle flashes bursting from somewhere near their canopies.

"Fynnis, that Kodiak have any guns on it?" Will asked hopefully.

" _If it did they'd already be shooting,"_  he answered.

Will shrugged. "Worth a shot."

They were quickly gaining on Fynnis and his Kodiak and soon found themselves passing him, leaving the Eclipse shuttle to slowly dwindle on its damaged engines. Will could now clearly see the two skycars shooting at Shansa and Eleena's. Their canopies were ajar, allowing two armed figures to shoot out of each. The aggressors had already scored a few hits on Shansa and Eleena's vehicle, as a light trail of smoke plumed from one of the damaged thruster housings.

"What do you think?" Will asked as they approached.

"Bodyguards of that turian they kidnapped?" Ralliston guessed. "I can get us close if you think you can place some shots into them."

Will grinned and sat up on his knees. "Never heard a better idea in my life."

Ralliston reached to his back and retrieved his rifle with one hand while maintaining their flight path with the other. "Use mine. Packs a way bigger punch than that little popgun of yours."

Will couldn't argue. Ralliston was right. The turian's rifle was already a heavy assault rifle that outclassed his own, but it was loaded with modifications that had turned it into an absolute Goliath. He grabbed the rifle and expanded it before tapping the control panel for the canopy and to send it sliding back about halfway. Wind gusted through the cockpit, causing Will to grab onto the seat for stability, but Ralliston quickly compensated for the change in airflow.

"Okay, bringing you up along side them," Ralliston informed him. "Your best bet is hitting them straight up the exhaust."

Will lifted the rifle and honed his sights on one of the two skycars as Ralliston rapidly closed in on them. Once he was within a respectable distance he flipped off the safety and began unleashing quick, controlled bursts into the thrusters of the closer of the two targets. The spread on Ralliston's rifle was incredibly high, forcing Will to keep his shots as short and sweet as possible. It wasn't long before one of the two figures leaning out of the skycar realized they were being flanked and pointed back toward Will and Ralliston's vehicle.

"They see us," Will shouted as he placed a few more shots into the skycar.

"We're fine!" Ralliston called in response. "Just keep hitting them!"

"Gladly."

It only took a few more bursts before one of the thrusters erupted in a yellow flame. The skycar dropped out of their view in the blink of an eye due to their diminished power.

"Damn! Nice shot!" Ralliston yelled as he pushed the skycar even faster.

"One down, one to go," Will said contently.

He readied the rifle again and waited for the next skycar to reach a suitable range. Will tapped a finger impatiently as he watched bullets pelt Shansa and Eleena's skycar, each one a gamble that could end in a fiery explosion. Then, almost as though it were a punishment for the very thought, a burst of flame shot from the skycar and began to engulf the engine. Will's heart jumped in his chest as he watched their skycar plummet toward the ground with the pursuers giving chase. Ralliston reacted exceptionally and slowed to compensate before putting them in a dive as Will sat back in the chair and buckled his safety harness. The blue skycar managed to level off and change its course after dropping a few hundred meters, redirecting its crash-landing toward a construction site. Will held his breath as he watched them crash through an unfinished wall before sliding to a stop on the top floor of the building. The pursuing skycar swooped in and settled down a few meters away.

"Getting us as close as I can," Ralliston commented as he brought them in just behind the others.

Will ordered the canopy open and tossed Ralliston's rifle down onto the seat as he retrieved his own from his back. The moment the skycar touched the ground Will jumped out and raised his rifle at the pair of armed foes approaching the crashed, burning skycar. Upon hearing the Kodiak land, one of the bodyguards looked over his shoulder to see Will and Ralliston approaching.

"Get the fuck out of here and we won't kill you," he stated flatly, clearly not immediately worried by their presence.

Before them the hatch of the crashed blue skycar was forced open and a disoriented woman came climbing out. Will gripped his rifle tighter and held his aim on the guards as Ralliston joined him.

"I won't say it again!" The guard said with his voice raised and now becoming concerned.

Shansa gasped and turned back to the skycar to help Eleena in dragging the turian from the wreck. As one of the guards glanced over his shoulder to the crash, Will saw and took his chance. He squeezed the trigger of his M-15. Ralliston joined in without hesitation and together they unloaded into one of the guards, killing him in a matter of seconds. The second target lifted his gun and began to return fire, but was quickly cut down. Will stood frozen and breathed in slowly and deliberately as he stared at the two bodies.

"Get back!" Eleena shouted through a cough.

Will's eyes snapped to the wreckage where Shansa, Eleena and their unconscious turian hostage were now hobbling clear of the fire. The asari had raised her fist and was charging a biotic attack. Will opened his mouth, unable find words, and turned to move toward them. Without further warning, Eleena blasted Will with a biotic throw, sending him tumbling head over heels onto his back. He groaned and wished he had found his words first.

"Eleena!"

Ralliston's voice was muffled. Will rolled his head from side to side as he attempted to collect himself after being caught in the biotic throw.

"Eleena, it's us!"

A wave of reinvigorating energy washed over Will's body, giving him the strength to pull himself to his feet. His rifle was somewhere off to his side, but he had no need for it.

"Who is 'us?'" Shansa asked.

Will stumbled toward them, ignoring the aching strains in his joints, and reached up to his neck to uncouple his helmet from the rest of his hardsuit. He pulled it up and over his head, then simply let it fall to the ground as he forced his eyes to adjust. The construction site was dark, but the burning flames of the crashed skycar provided a warm light that danced across the two faces he had been working so hard to finally see again. As he stepped close enough for the light to illuminate his face, Shansa and Eleena's expressions could not have grown more different. The former dropped her jaw softly and raised her brows in utter, emotional disbelief. The latter stared stoically before narrowing her brow and gritting her teeth angrily.

"What the hell is this?" Eleena demanded.

"It's me," Will managed to answer.

He was having as much difficulty speaking as they were. Then again, perhaps not  _quite_  as much.

The asari clenched her fist. "Is this a joke?!"

"It's  _me,_ " he repeated. "Will."

Eleena shook her head and began to object, only to be interrupted by Shansa as she took a step toward him.

"Eleena, I think it is him," she said quietly, her words on the edge of tears.

Ralliston, having already lowered his weapon, stood aside and nodded. "I know you don't trust me, but I can promise you he's telling the truth. This is Captain Hume."

Will let out a small chuckle, though he was still trying to catch his breath from being knocked back. "Don't call me 'Captain.' Typically you still have to have a ship under your command for that _._ "

Eleena's eyes lit up slightly at the joke. Shansa hesitated no longer and dropped the gun in her hand as she ran toward Will, throwing her arms around his neck as she latched onto him in a tight grasp. Will reciprocated without a second of thought by closing his eyes and wrapping his arms around her in a loving embrace. As Shansa wept softly onto his shoulder, ignoring the uncomfortable hardsuit she was hugging, Eleena moved to join them. Will looked up to the asari as she approached and reached out with one arm. Eleena hesitated for a brief second before taking the offer to embrace the other two as they held each other.

"How?" Shansa managed to ask. "We searched for you for weeks. You... you were dead."

Will closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I wasn't actually. I made it out of the ship before... God, do I have a long story for you two."

"I don't need a story right now," Shansa said with her face muffled by his neck.

She pulled back and lifted her hands to cup his face. Shansa's eyes darted across his features despite being laden with tears.

"I just need to look at you," she chuckled while rubbing his cheek with her thumb.

Eleena released herself from the hug as well and took a step back. Will smiled down at Shansa, holding back the urge to hug her again as she stared up at him with wide, brown eyes.

"I shouldn't just accept this." Shansa thought aloud, her voice cracking softly. "People don't just come back from the dead. I've mourned you for almost two years."

"Sorry I had to break your streak," Will said in an attempt to lighten the mood.

Shansa closed her eyes and laughed softly while punching his armored chest softly with her fist. "This isn't happening." She looked over her shoulder. "Is this-"

"You're right, Shansa," Eleena interrupted. "This shouldn't be happening."

The asari quietly reached forward and took Will's hand in her own before sliding off his glove. Shansa blinked curiously and watched as Eleena placed her hands around his and closed her eyes. She took a long, deep breath, then slowly opened her eyes once more and stared directly into Will's.

"But... it is," Eleena appended, still clearly unconvinced by her own words.

Shansa stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him once again, simply holding him tight as she held back audible gasps that tried to sneak into her silent tears.

Ralliston cleared his throat. "Hume, we got a message from Fynnis. Wants to know if we need a pickup."

Eleena narrowed her eyes and looked between the two of them. "Who is Fynnis?"

"Someone who helped me find you," Will answered. "Like Ralliston did." He glanced over to the turian. "Tell him to bring the shuttle down. We can pick up the others and get back to the ship."

"They took a cab back," Ralliston informed him, relaying the information from his headset.

"Others?" Eleena continued, still skeptical. "Ship?" She added after a brief pause.

Will slowly pulled Shansa off of him and watched as she wiped a few more tears from her eyes. "Shan, I hope you're ready for another surprise."

* * *

It had taken a bit of convincing to get Shansa and Eleena into the Eclipse Kodiak. Will thought he saw the rejection about to come to pass in Eleena's eyes, but she seemed to put aside any objections for the time being. Fynnis gave them a quick nod as they piled in and set off toward the  _Trueshot_.

Shansa shook her head as she stared Will down. "How? I just don't understand how you could have survived."

"I thought you said you didn't need an explanation," Will answered with a smile.

"That was a few minutes ago!" She argued. "We have time now!"

"I  _am_  dying for an explanation," Eleena added.

Will could see that the asari was still watching him apprehensively. Not wanting to come off as dodging the issue, he nodded and sat up in his seat.

"I guess you've earned the short version, at the very least," he said, still smiling. "I set the  _Hyperion_  to ram that Cerberus frigate, but I wasn't able to escape in the Kodiak in time. It tore to pieces and sent me floating in the wreckage."

Shansa frowned and looked to the floor. "We figured that much. About the ships, that is. The debris field was... huge."

"It was the only way I could see to make sure things were ended with Cerberus," Will added. "I had to be sure Stafford wouldn't come after you and the rest of the crew."

Eleena sighed. "For a while I hated you for doing it," she said quietly. "But after I really thought about it, I realized we didn't have many other options."

"My thoughts as well," Will replied. "So I was spaced, but still alive. After floating for about three hours a ship swept the wreckage and found me."

Shansa looked up with wide eyes. "Someone found you?"

"How do you think I survived?" Will asked with a small smirk. "Yeah, someone found me. And immediately dropped me off with their next delivery." His lips curled down into an angered snarl. "They were slavers."

Shansa gasped and took a step toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Are you saying they-"

"Sold me into slavery, yeah," Will answered. "A labor camp in some backwater mines. I was there for a year and a half."

Eleena had finally dropped the doubting look in her eyes and replaced it with concern. "But you escaped?"

"I was rescued," he corrected.

Shansa and Eleena looked to one another, each waiting for the obvious question to be asked.

"I'll explain more soon," Will answered before they could speak.

"We're entering the  _Trueshot_  cargo bay now," Fynnis reported from the cockpit.

"Very, very soon," Will added as his smile returned.

The shuttle shook softly as it settled down on the deck of the cargo bay. Ralliston tapped the control panel to send the hatch open as Eleena and Shansa turned to look out the opening door. The artificial lights on the  _Trueshot_  were surprisingly bright compared to the interior of the Kodiak, forcing the two women to squint as their eyes adjusted. Standing close to the door with his arms crossed and a look of contentment with their successful mission was Vayren. Eleena and Shansa's faces brightened as they recognized the salarian and eased themselves to the floor, making sure not to trip over their dresses.

"Vayren!" Shansa exclaimed. "You wonderful-"

Her words cut short. The figure standing a few feet behind Vayren had caught the eyes of Shansa and Eleena. A taller, well-built human female with tightly wound black hair and relatively dark skin. Eleena thought nothing of her besides slight confusion at the stranger's wide eyes and lips parted in disbelief. Shansa, however, stumbled to a dumbfounded stop. She stared Kay down, blinking only once or twice as she attempted to vocalize her thoughts. Kay was far more prepared for the reunion and managed to pull her slacked jaw into a beaming smile as she stepped forward.

Shansa's lip trembled softly out of either fear or joy, it was not apparent which. "Kay?"

Kay drew in a sharp breath as she heard her sister's voice and ran forward the last few steps, opening her arms to wrap them around Shansa. The petite woman let out a small "oomph" as her older sister, still fully armored, entrapped her in a tight embrace.

"W-what is..." Shansa managed to push her words past the lump in her throat. "How-"

"Oh, god, Shansa," Kay said through a happy laugh.

Shansa shook her head and pushed herself back from Kay while looking over her shoulder to Eleena. "This can't be. Will  _and_ Kay-"

"We're alive," Kay interrupted. "Always have been."

Eleena looked as doubtful as Shansa and gave Will a concerned look.

"Eleena, this is Shansa's sister, Kay Fischer," Will said slowly. "She's the one who rescued me from that labor camp."

Shansa jerked her head back to look at Kay. Her breathing was heavy and without any semblance of control. She took Kay's hands in her own and stared up to her sister's loving smile.

"What the  _hell_ is happening?" Shansa pleaded.

Will stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Why don't we sit down. Kay and I have a lot to explain."

* * *

It took nearly two hours for Will and Kay to recite their stories by first fully explaining what had happened to Will after his final confrontation with Cerberus. After that, Kay recounted the same story of her life after Arvuna that she had told Will a few weeks prior. Will watched them take in every word and held back his smile a much as he could. As Kay finished her tale with the discovery and eventual rescue of Will, all eyes in the room instinctively fell on Shansa and Eleena.

After a long bout of silence, Shansa finally spoke in a hushed tone. "Even if you had told me weeks ago that tonight I would see not one, but two people I love come back from the dead, I wouldn't have been able to prepare myself." She looked across the table to Will and Kay. "Part of me feels like a complete fool for even believing this is possible."

Eleena shook her head in objection. Over the course of the night, as Will and Kay explained themselves, she had very clearly become convinced that they were telling the truth. It most likely helped that she had never known Kay, and was not blindsided  _twice_  within a half an hour.

"It... does make sense, Shan," Eleena reminded her. "We never found Will's body. You never knew what became of your sister after the abductions." She shifted her eyes around the table where the others stood. "And if this was some kind of trick, how would the orchestrator get Ralliston and Vayren to play along?"

"If someone managed to clone those two I don't think it'd be hard to get the others," Fynnis chimed in from the kitchenette.

Will gave him a stern look.

The turian cleared his throat and forced out a dismissive laugh. "Err, but, come on. Cloning? That's ridiculous."

"Thanks for the support," Will complimented dryly.

Fynnis lifted his cup and nodded. "Anytime, good buddy."

Shansa shook her head. "I'm sorry... this is just all so sudden." She frowned and looked to Eleena, Will then Kay. "I mean, Eleena and I were just starting to get our lives back on track." She took a deep breath and stood up from the table. "I need to-" She interrupted herself with another deep breath. "I don't know what I need right now."

Kay stood up without question. "Let's go for a walk, Shan." She stepped around the table and put a hand on her back. "Come on, just you and me. We have a lot to catch up on."

Shansa looked up to her sister and smiled thankfully. She reached up and sighed while pushing some of Kay's hair from her eyes.

"Damn it, how are you still prettier than me?"

Kay laughed outright. "Pretty?  _Me?_  Eyes of the beholder, sis." She gave Shansa a playful nudge on the shoulder. "You on the other hand! Ten years did a lot for those awkward teenage proportions."

Shansa rolled her eyes, still smiling gently. "I need to change out of this silly dress."

"Come on," Kay said, turning her toward the door. "I've got some clothes you can borrow. They might be a few sizes too big, though."

"All I want is something less constricting than this dress," Shansa admitted with a laugh.

Kay looked back over her shoulder. "We'll be back soon." She pointed to Will. "Call if something comes up."

"Of course," Will assured her.

The sisters exited through the forward doorway as the others watched. Will's uncontrollable smile was burning on his cheeks. As he turned back to the table, Eleena's eyes drifted back from the door as well.

"This is going better than I expected," Fynnis commented as he took another sip of his drink.

Vayren shrugged in agreement. "Quite well, I would say."

"Except for the part when Eleena threw Will a good ten feet," Ralliston added.

Eleena gave the turian an icy glare. "I hope you can forgive us for being a tad defensive."

Will looked to his side where Vayren, Ralliston and Fynnis stood while sighing and motioning toward the door.

"Think you could give us a few minutes?"

Vayren nodded. "Certainly."

The salarian quickly made his way to the door with Ralliston following close behind. Fynnis downed the last of his drink and exited behind them, leaving Will and Eleena alone in the crew's quarters. Their eyes met for a brief moment. Without saying a word, they rose from their chairs in unison and swiftly stepped around the table so they could capture one another in a tight embrace.

"Goddess," Eleena muttered softly. "What a fucking night."

"I wish I could have gotten in touch with you. I didn't want to just spring all of this on you and Shansa," Will said with an exasperated sigh.

"Heh, a little warning would have been nice," the asari agreed. "Every few minutes I teeter back and forth on the edge of doubt and acceptance about all of this. About  _you_."

"I  _swear_ to you, Eleena, it's me. I don't know how else to prove it."

"You don't need to," she assured him. "Everything adds up as far as I can tell. And when I touch you," she paused and ran her hand across the skin of his neck. "I can feel William Hume."

Will loosened up on the hug and leaned back to look into her eyes. "Would it help to... you know, meld?" He blinked and shook his head. "Not in a  _sexual_  way of course! I- I just mean, you know, I figured with the mind thing and... it does work that way, right? You could sort of  _feel_  my thoughts?"

She laughed softly and raised a finger to his lips. "Shut up, Will. If that terrible proposition wasn't enough evidence of your identity, I don't know what would be."

"If you say so." Will stepped back and looked to her with a concerned frown. "Are you two alright? I mean, have you managed okay since I went missing? I wanted to ask the moment I saw you, but I thought it might be a little soon. I want to hear everything. I want to know you're both okay."

Eleena cracked a tiny smile. "Slow down, Will. Relax. It was a little rough for the first few months," she admitted. "But we made due with Tul and T'lees to help us."

"Ralliston told me about what happened to everyone, at least to the best of his knowledge." Will was internally thankful that he had regained his composure. "He said you all kept him in the dark for the most part."

"Well, I didn't exactly trust him," Eleena noted. "And I knew he fucked us over somehow."

Will furrowed his brow. "You did?"

"The last time we bonded," she reminded him. "I felt your trepidation over something he had done to endanger us, but that was all I could make sense of. Your mind was all over the place."

"Ain't that the truth," Will sighed. "But he told me about how you shut him out. What happened to everyone after that?"

Eleena sighed and turned to pace away from the table idly. "As I'm guessing he told you, we stripped our ID numbers and names. Tul was the first to go, but we have no idea where to."

"None?" Will felt a pain in his chest.

"Not unless he told Shansa something that he didn't tell me," Eleena answered. "And we parted ways from T'lees about the same time we got away from Ralliston."

"So where's Fayneer?"

She shrugged. "Haven't the slightest fucking clue. She gave a comm ID when she left and said, 'If you need me.' We haven't needed her so far."

Will nodded in understanding and turned to lean against the table. He crossed his arms and looked toward the ground, focusing on nothing but staring intently. After a moment of silence he glanced to his side where Eleena still wandered absentmindedly.

"How did you and Shansa get here? What were you even doing in that club?" Will asked. "I mean, shit, you could have gotten yourselves killed."

Eleena chuckled. "I, um, feel like you might get a little upset with me if I tell you." She returned his look and smirked. "We started bounty hunting about a year ago. That turian we kidnapped and locked up in the other room? He's wanted on Palaven for murder."

Will stood and turned to face her. "What? You didn't want to do something  _safe_  after all that bullshit with Cerberus?" He grunted irritably. "You're practically begging to get yourselves killed! An exceptional engineer and a superb pilot who would rather chase criminals than do something that doesn't have them-"

"You really are getting upset with me?" Eleena asked.

Will shrugged his shoulders helplessly. "Does that make sense to  _you_  when you think about it? Because it sure doesn't make sense to me."

He wasn't sure if upset was the right word, but he was certainly not happy that the two of them had gone from barely escaping Cerberus at the near cost of his own life to risking their own at the drop of a hat. Eleena did not answer immediately. Instead, she walked to the kitchen and retrieved a glass to fill with water. The asari held her lips tight as she held the glass under the faucet and watched the slow stream of water flow into the cup.

As her glass finished filling, Eleena turned off the sink and took a few sips of water. "Shansa and I are not weak," she said firmly while turning to face him. "Did you forget that? Being concerned about Shansa, I guess I can understand that. As far as you ever knew she was a pilot who was just starting to learn to fire her own gun before you died. But  _me?_  I fought at your side for years, Will." Her eyes remained locked on his. "Do you honestly mean to insult me by implying that I can't handle myself in a dangerous situation? Because that's what it sounds like from where I'm standing."

Will crossed his arms and shook his head slowly. "No. I don't think that at all. I was just hoping you two wouldn't be taking risks after we came so close to losing everything."

"That's irrelevant if you think I'm still as capable as I was when we first met, because you sure didn't complain about me being reckless when we were storming Antarian's villa. Hell, I'm  _better_ than I was then and you know it. So I'm covered. But Shansa? She has been working her  _ass_ off to be able to hold her own in a fight," Eleena continued.

"Why?" Will asked with a small frown. "She never wanted that. Not before."

She took another sip of her water. "Remind me again why we decided to become vigilantes after we fought Sommesh."

Will watched her curiously. "Because... we thought we could do some good in the galaxy. Make it a better place." He snorted. "Lotta good we did."

"We did _,_ " Eleena affirmed, objecting to his cynicism. "And when Shansa saw you taken away from her, that ideal lit up in her like I've never seen." She set her jaw firmly. "She convinced  _me_  to do this. She convinced me to chase people that make the galaxy a place where loved ones could be killed for doing the right thing. Where entire fucking colonies can be abducted and sent to labor camps or worse." She finished off her glass of water and chuckled. "And I gotta tell you, Will, she can handle a gun damn near as well as she can handle a ship."

A contemplative silence settled over the two of them. Will had let his eyes stray from Eleena after she finished speaking, leaving him to stared blankly at the wall.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to insinuate anything and I would never want to control either of you or your decisions. But do you really think we made the galaxy a better place?" He quietly asked. "Even after all the crap the RMC put us through? After what it cost between us and Kallux? Despite the fact that every warlord, weapon cache or gang hideout we took down just got replaced by a new one within a week?" Will bit his lip. "Did we actually help?"

Eleena continued to look to him as he shifted his eyes back up. "I don't know, Will," she answered earnestly in a voice much softer and reserved than normal. "I really don't. But Shansa thinks so. And for a while, you thought so." She gave him a bittersweet smile. "Isn't that enough?"


	16. Chapter 16

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 16**

_**ISV Trueshot, New Estrana, Illium** _

Will and Eleena sat at the dining table in the crew's quarters, quietly eating their quickly prepared meals. There were still hundreds of questions to be asked by them both, but they were waiting for the third of their troupe to return from her outing. As they were just finishing their plates, the forward doorway slid apart for Kay and Shansa to come walking inside. Will glanced over his shoulder to see them. Both sisters had changed out of their armor and dress, respectively, and into sets of casual clothes that clearly only fit Kay. Shansa seemed content with the oversized shirt and pants and waved gently to Will and Eleena as she entered.

"Good walk?" Eleena asked as she took a sip of water.

"Great walk," Shansa answered. "Couldn't wait to eat until I got back, huh?"

The asari smirked. "Hey, you were gone for a while, and we were hungry."

Shansa shook her head in teasing-disapproval.

"Are you hungry?" Kay asked. "I can cook you up something real quick."

"I'm okay for now," Shansa answered thankfully.

Will cleared his throat. "So, you two are all caught up?"

"Oh hell no," Kay laughed. "We haven't seen each other in ten years, Willie!"

Eleena snorted in amusement. "'Willie?'"

He glanced over to her. "A nickname you will never use," he explained.

"We'll see about that," the asari grinned.

"Kay's right, though," Shansa said while coming to sit at the end of the table. "The two of us still have a lot to talk about. As do all of us."

Will nodded slowly. "Such as?"

"Such as, where do we go from here?" Shansa asked.

This was the question that Will had been regretting. "Where did they go from here?" in every sense of phase. Emotionally, would they all simply be able to pick up where they left off? Of course not, or so he assumed. But that was the hard question, what about the easy one? Where would they go from Illium, and to do what? Kay looked to each of them and stepped back to lean against the counter, deciding that it was nowhere near her time to speak.

"I don't know," Will finally answered. "But I know where I'd like to go." He looked to Shansa and Eleena. "I'd like to find the rest of the crew."

Eleena frowned softly. "T'lees and Tul'Sorrin?"

Will nodded once. "Yes."

"I don't mean to sound insensitive, but why?" Shansa asked. "Just so they know that you're okay?"

Will shook his head. "What? Of course, not. We've got work to do, Shansa." He let out a defeated sigh. "I need their help."

Eleena raised a brow. "Help with what? Will, you're just starting to get your life back together, you should probably take it easy for-"

"No!" He interrupted firmly. "I'm going to find the people who did this to me, to everyone in that slave camp, and we're going to kill them."

The concern in Shansa's eyes was unmistakable. She glanced over to Eleena briefly before looking back to Will while speaking slowly and carefully.

"Will, you can't just pull everyone back together like that," she explained. "They've moved on with their lives." Shansa shrugged. "Eleena and I even moved on. Obviously I want you back in my life, but you can't just assume that we or the rest of the crew want what we had on the  _Hyperion_  again."

Will opened his mouth to speak but was only able to produce a few words. "Why wouldn't you?"

Shansa smiled softly. "I do. Believe me, I do." She shook her head. "But we're all different people. The others might have something in their lives more dear than what we all had."

Eleena raised a finger to interject. "If this is something you have to do, Will, then I'm with you. But Shansa's right. What you want is a big commitment from people who've already made others."

"You don't know that, though," Will objected. "Eleena, you said yourself that you don't know where T'lees and Tul'Sorrin went."

"That's... true," she admitted.

Shansa frowned. "I- I know where Tul is."

Eleena looked to her in utter confusion. "You  _what?_  You've never told me that."

"He told me in confidence," she said, clearly conflicted. "He made me promise that I wouldn't tell anyone."

"Why?" Will asked.

"He wouldn't give me a real reason," Shansa answered. "But I can't betray his trust."

Kay made herself noticed and raised a brow. "I feel like I should probably leave you all to this discussion."

Will glanced over and shook his head. "No, no I think you should stay. No matter what we do, you're welcome to be a part of it. At least, I want you to be." He looked back to Shansa. "And I assume Shan feels the same way."

Shansa nodded. "Absolutely."

Eleena waved her hands. "Let's slow down. Before we do anything at all we need to address the fact that we have a bounty handcuffed to a bed in the next room."

Will paused and blinked once. "So we do."

"I'll setup the exchange for tomorrow," Eleena decided. "We'll get some transport and-"

"Don't be ridiculous," Kay interrupted. "We've got a shuttle. We'll take you."

"A stolen shuttle," Will reminded her. "That belongs to the Eclipse."

Kay waved a hand dismissively. "Fynnis and the Spectre made sure they can't track it. It's ours now."

Shansa gave her an unconvinced look. "I guess, but you still stole it."

"From the Eclipse!" Kay argued adamantly. "Don't tell me you like those animals."

"Uggh, no," Eleena answered quickly. "So tomorrow we'll take your shuttle and get this turian sorted out. I don't know about you all, but I really need to sleep. This has been a pretty exhausting day."

Shansa nodded in agreement. "Ain't that the truth. Is there a taxi terminal nearby?"

Kay scoffed. "Don't think of it! You can stay on the  _Trueshot._ "

"Oh, that's not necessary," Shansa quickly argued. "We've still got our hotel room paid through the next few days."

"It's really not a problem," Kay insisted.

Shansa looked down to the table. "Kay, I really... I can't. I need to just let this sink in." She looked back up with a frown. "I can't go from finding out that you and Will are alive to sleeping in a bed on your ship in a couple of hours." She laughed. " _Your_  ship! We've barely even talked about that!"

Will nodded in understanding. "Do whatever you need to take care of yourself, Shansa." He glanced over to Eleena. "What about you?"

"Shansa really shouldn't be there alone given the friends we probably made tonight," Eleena began. "But I also don't want to just drop this captive on your hands."

Will raised a finger. "Not another word. I can handle him. You two should go get some rest." He paused briefly. "Preferably not in a place where everything you thought you knew is wrong."

Shansa smirked. "Not everything is wrong," she reminded him. "I mean, you still  _look_  about the same."

* * *

Will leaned against the side of their stolen Kodiak and looked across the hangar to where Shansa and Eleena were standing with their turian captive. Their point of contact for the bounty's exchange had arrived just a few moments earlier and was explaining the documentation that the two of them would have to sign.

"Can't believe my baby sister is a bounty hunter," Kay said with a chuckle.

"You can't?" Will looked over to his side where she stood. "She's always been tough, Kay. I mean, she did have to put up with you growing up."

The woman smirked and glanced back to him. "And look what good my conditioning has done for her."

The man who had met Shansa and Eleena handed a holopad over to the two of them to overlook while the two armed guards that had arrived with him stepped up to the turian prisoner. Eleena nodded in satisfaction and tapped a few buttons on the holopad before handing over to Shansa to do the same. After giving the tablet back to their liaison, he, his guards and the turian headed back toward the smaller shuttle they had arrived in. Shansa and Eleena grinned to one another and spoke a few quiet words before turning and walking back toward the Kodiak.

"Things went smoothly I assume?" Will asked as they approached.

"Fifty-thousand credits smoothly, to be exact," Eleena answered.

Shansa smiled warmly to Will and Kay. "Thanks for flying us out here."

"You kidding? Don't thank us at all!" Kay objected. "Thank Fynnis, he did the hard part."

The turian was somewhere in the cockpit still, out of earshot.

"Why don't we head back to New Estrana," Eleena suggested. "Now that we don't have a turian bounty to watch over, we can actually talk."

Will nodded in agreement and turned to open the side hatch of the shuttle. As the door swung open he jumped up and held out a hand to whoever would take it. Kay had already begun climbing up and did not even think to reach. Eleena gave him a small smirk and swatted the hand away as she pulled herself up. Shansa smiled softly and took the hand after a short bout of consideration. Fynnis leaned out of the cockpit and eyed his passengers.

"We headed back?" He inquired.

"Yes we are," Will affirmed.

The turian nodded. "Great, I always get nervous in Nos Astra. Who wants to fly?"

Shansa gave him a quick look. "As much as I'd love to, I'd rather sit back here and talk."

Fynnis sighed. "Yeah, I figured as much." He slid back into the cockpit and into the pilot's seat. "Taking us to high atmo, should be just a few minutes."

As the shuttle's thrusters powered up, Shansa and Eleena sat themselves on one of the nearby benches as Will came to sit directly across from them. Kay opted to stand to the side leaning casually on the wall of the compartment.

"So," Will said with a small grin. "How much of that fifty-thousand is going to paying me back for draining my accounts?"

Shansa's eyes went wide. "Oh no, I... I  _completely_ forgot." She placed her hand over her face and shook her head. "I am so sorry, Will!"

"No big deal, I was there to pick up his tabs," Kay jested.

"I  _guess_ you did help us with securing the bounty," Eleena began jokingly before giving him a smile. "Of course we'll pay you back, Will."

Will crossed his arms. "Yeah, about that bounty." He raised a curious brow. "How the hell did you guys manage all of that?"

"What do you mean?" Shansa asked.

"I mean how did you get a gun into a place that secure?" Will laughed. "I mean, there must have been security scanners."

Shansa blinked. "Oh, that pistol?" She grinned. "It was fake. But he didn't know that."

"And security can't confiscate my biotics," Eleena added.

"Done a lot of this kind of stuff?" Kay asked curiously.

"Nothing that required as much planning and precision as this," Eleena answered. "But we've probably taken in, what, fifteen bounties over the past year or so?"

Shansa nodded. "Sounds about right."

"I want to hear about each one," Will declared.

Eleena shook her head. "Bah, we can talk about all that later. I want to talk about you, Will. Are you okay? I mean, a year and a half of slavery..."

Will frowned softly and looked down. "It was rough. The prisoners really held together to keep each other in good spirits. But the real thing that kept me going was, well, you guys." Will looked back up to Shansa and Eleena. "If I gave up and rolled over knew I'd never see you two again, so I had to keep it together." He shrugged dismissively. "But I'm alright now. At least, I think I am."

"You don't sound too certain about that," Shansa noted.

"He's held together well enough since I found him," Kay pointed out.

Shansa looked back to her sister. "It sounds like Will had it easy compared to you," she said. "What was it, five years?"

"About that," Kay answered. "But it wasn't back-breaking labor like Willie put up with. And I got to work my way up the corporate ladder."

Shansa smirked softly. "I see you've kept a sense of humor about it."

"You know me well enough, Shan," Kay replied. "Takes a lot to get to me."

Will could have sworn he heard a hint of doubt in Kay's voice, but decided not to point it out just yet.

"So, I guess we're headed back to the  _Trueshot_?" Eleena asked.

"Unless there are any objections," Kay answered. "Figured Shan might want a tour of the ship."

Shansa smiled eagerly. "I'd love that."

"Don't forget Eleena," Will chimed in. "Though you might want to get it in writing that she won't tear the ship apart."

The asari grinned. "I can control myself, thank you."

"Descending from high atmo," Fynnis called from the cockpit. "We'll be docked in about a minute and a half."

"Perfect timing," Kay shouted back to him.

The others sat quietly and patiently as the shuttle made its way down to the spaceport where the  _Trueshot_  was docked. The Kodiak seemed to hover idly for a few seconds after passing through the cargo bay airlock before dropping to the deck with a thud. Fynnis turned off the systems quickly and spun to stand in the cockpit doorway as Will, Eleena and Shansa stood from their seats. Shansa gave the turian a curious look.

"No post-flight checklist?" She inquired.

Fynnis chuckled and reached over to open the Kodiak's hatch. "You almost had me going for a second."

Shansa glanced back over to Kay. "You  _do_  run a post-flight checklist whenever you dock the ship, right?"

Kay cleared her throat and jumped through the now open hatch to the floor of the cargo bay. "So how about that tour?"

For the next hour Will followed as a silent observer while Kay led Shansa and Eleena throughout the  _ISV Trueshot._ He learned a great deal in doing so, such as the fact that each side of the cargo bay slanted inward slowly as they approached the bow. This was to accommodate a set of twin ship to ship defense cannons that were concealed by retractable armor plating running almost seamlessly along the forward hull. Unfortunately, the cannons had been stripped of some vital components long before even Kay's old captain had acquired the ship. Kay had clearly picked up a lot about the  _Trueshot_  during her time with it, but for every fact that she offered about the ship, Shansa or Eleena had another three questions. As their tour came to an end up in the operations center, Kay let out an exhausted sigh and threw up her hands in defeat.

"There you go, that's all I've got. And I think I've told you every damn thing I know about her, so if you've got any more questions you're gonna have to answer them for yourselves."

Eleena grinned slyly. "Am I to take that as permission?"

Kay narrowed her eyes. "Permission to...?"

"Answer my own questions about the ship," Eleena continued. "That engine room is calling to me."

"And when am I getting a chance to fly this thing?" Shansa asked before Kay could answer.

Will and Kay exchanged a quick look and knowing smile. As they looked back to Shansa and Eleena, Will stepped toward them and crossed his arms.

"That probably depends on what our next course of action is," he said firmly. "We've taken care of that bounty, so we're all caught up. But I have something that needs to be done and I want you two with me."

Shansa and Eleena had clearly known this proposition was coming and reacted accordingly with a simple nod.

"Of course I want to help you, Will," Shansa answered.

"Me too," Eleena added. "But I would like some specifics." She raised a brow. "You've already got a lot of strength on this ship, what exactly are you planning on doing with it?"

Will could see out of the corner of his eye that Kay was looking to him curiously as well. He had expressed his plans to her before, but had never made anything concrete. With as many dependencies as he had riding on her cooperation, he was incredibly grateful that she seemed as enthusiastic about his end goals as he did.

"Do you remember a man named Janson?" Will inquired. "He's an officer of the Blue Suns."

Eleena nodded. "Vaguely."

"It was his ship that plucked me out of the wreckage," Will explained. "He's the one who put me in that labor camp along with dozens of others."

Kay, Shansa and Eleena stood idly and waited for him to continue.

"I'm gonna track him down, wherever he is, and I'm going to kill him," Will said simply. "And I'll do this alone if I have to. But the more people I have helping me the better."

Shansa and Eleena did their best to stifle the concern on their faces, but Will was intimately familiar with such looks.

"So you were serious last night," Eleena recalled. "About getting payback from those slavers."

"Do you think that's a good idea?" Shansa asked. "I mean, Will, you've got a second shot at living your life. And this guy is clearly dangerous."

He smirked to himself thinking about the conversation he had had with Eleena just the night before about his own concern for  _their_ safety. But then, it wasn't entirely out of the ordinary for Shansa to be worried about him and his decision making.

"He took away nearly two years of my life," Will pointed out. "Not to mention the dozens or hundreds of other people he's given similar treatment."

Shansa stared Will down. "So the question is: are you doing this out of revenge, or to make sure he doesn't hurt anyone else again?"

He glanced over to Eleena and Kay. From the look of interest on their faces they had been curious as well.

"If you'd asked me a few weeks ago, I would have probably said revenge," Will answered after a long pause. "But after learning a few things last night from Eleena," he glanced toward the asari, "I can say it's both."

Shansa let out a small sigh. "I guess half vengeance, half altruism is better than just blind revenge."

Will raised a brow. "So you're with me?"

The woman took in a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah, Will, I'm with you." She smiled weakly. "Come on, you knew that already."

Will smiled softly in return and looked to Eleena with a raised bow, to which she smirked and shook her head.

"Can't let you two do this without me. You'd fuck it up somehow," she teased.

He stepped forward and looked to each of them. "I'd say thank you, but it wouldn't be anywhere close to enough."

Shansa shook her head. "Oh, shut up, Will. You don't need to thank me for a damn thing." Her smile grew a bit more.

"So, where do we begin?" Will asked. "I was thinking-"

"Woah, hold on," Shansa interjected with a giggle. "I've got some things to take care of first! All of our gear is back at the hotel, I need to familiarize myself with the ship..."

"That second part goes double for me," Eleena noted.

Will glanced back to Kay. "Sounds like you've got two new crew members."

Kay leaned back against the conference table at the center of the room. "It's about damn time! Go pick up your stuff and let's get to work."

Eleena grinned. "Now if that's not permission to dig into that engine room, I don't know what is."

* * *

It didn't take long before Shansa and Eleena had transported their footlockers from their cheap, extended stay hotel to the armory and bunkroom of the _Trueshot._ They had only unpacked a few immediate items before setting off to their respective duties. Shansa was in the cockpit with Kay and Fynnis nearly bouncing with excitement over the new piloting environment. It didn't take long for both Kay and Fynnis to agree wholeheartedly that Shansa could take the role of helmsman if she so desired. And she did. Eleena, on the other hand, unpacked her bag of equipment and changed into a black jumpsuit that was remarkably clean before hurrying into the engineering compartment. Fynnis had offered to share what little knowledge he had of the systems, but the asari kindly declined the offer.

"I'm a little surprised they were so eager to jump on board," Vayren commented.

Will looked over to the salarian as he tinkered at the workbench beside his. Will was doing his best to give Shansa and Eleena some time to acclimate, and staying out of their hair was proving a tough decision to stick to. He had opted to work on the M-15 he had borrowed from the Collective and try to get it into the same operating conditions his old rifle had been in. Vayren had been laying low for the past day, either by working on his equipment or catching up on paperwork.

"Who, Shansa and Eleena?" Will asked.

The Spectre nodded. "Yes."

"I think they've been itching to get back on a ship," Will admitted. "I could tell just by looking at them the first time we stepped onto the  _Trushot._ "

"Even so, it appears as though they were doing well for themselves," Vayren noted.

Will shrugged as he ejected a small piece of the mass accelerator from his rifle. "No one's saying they have to stay on the ship forever."

He looked down at his foot to see it tapping involuntarily. Will stopped himself and took a calming breath. He was anxious, and he knew that the only way the anxiety would dissipate would be to talk to Eleena about the one thing he had neglected since their reunion.

"I'll be back in a minute," Will said as he placed the pieces of mass accelerator down on the workbench.

Vayren glanced over to him for a moment as he turned and walked toward the door, then returned to his work without a second thought. Will passed into the hallway and tried to keep his walk at a normal pace, though he knew he was moving quicker than normal. He reached the starboard door of the engineering compartment and held his finger over the access panel for a few seconds before tapping it once and sending the door sliding open. The engine room on the _Trueshot_  was much more impressive than that of the  _Hyperion_ , the center of which was an FTL core that was easily fifty percent larger than the one that had powered their old ship. At the base of the core in front of a series of holo-panels was Eleena, her hands tapping away at the keyboard as she squinted and looked across the monitors soaking in data. As the door opened she glanced to her left to see Will and smiled expectantly.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," she said.

"Am I that predictable?" Will asked with a small laugh.

Eleena tapped a few buttons on the monitors, causing all of the steaming data to pause, and turned to face him.

"You've asked me that before, you know." She grinned and motioned for him to come inside the room. "And the answer's always been no." She chuckled and shook her head. "Especially not after the past day or so."

Will smiled and stepped inside, closing the door behind him. "How do you like the ship so far?"

Eleena looked around and nodded in satisfaction. "She's great. Can't wait to really get into it." She shifted her eyes back to him knowingly. "But that's not what you're here for."

"Alright, you're lying to me about the predictability thing," Will said confidently as he approached her.

She laughed and shook her head. "Come on, Will, you know there's a difference between being predictable and intimately knowing how someone thinks." She tapped her head and winked.

Will came to a stop in front of her. "That's what they don't tell you about falling in love with an asari. It's all roses until they start stealing your taste for scotch."

Eleena smiled and shook her head. "Falling in love," she echoed.

A brief silence fell over the two of them.

"So I was right," Eleena concluded, breaking the quiet. "About what you're here for."

"Of course. You knew me well enough to have known that before we had ever bonded," Will pointed out. "So I guess I'll just ask: where do we stand?"

Eleena bit her lip momentarily before starting off slow. "That's a tough question."

Will felt a lump in his throat, but did his best to appear unaffected. "Tough how?"

"You know why," she answered. "You can't just come back to life and expect us to pick up right where we left off."

"Is there someone else?" Will asked abruptly.

Eleena blinked in confusion. "What?" She shook her head. "Why would you think that?"

"I... I've seen you and Shansa," Will said quietly. "You're clearly closer than you ever were before."

The asari gave him an offended look. "You think  _Shansa_ and I are- Goddess, what would make you-" She held up her hands closed her eyes. "I don't even know where to begin with that."

Will groaned and shook his head. Eleena had opened her eyes again and was looking him straight in the eyes, waiting for him to speak.

"Damn it, just forget it. I'm sorry to have assumed. It just made sense seeing as you two stayed together after the crew split up, and they way you were acting so close in that club, and you're staying together, I don't know."

Eleena let out a heavy sigh. "I had no interest in shacking up with  _anybody_  after you died, Will. Nor have I had the desire since." She averted her eyes. "That kind of pain tends to put a damper on those feelings."

"I'm sorry," Will reiterated after a short pause.

"No, it's okay," she assured him slowly. "I knew things might be a bit strange, and if that's really the biggest concern you had, I think..."

Will raised a brow. "You think what?"

Eleena crossed her arms. "I think... I just need a little time, Will. I've barely gotten used to the notion that I'll see you outside of my thoughts again." She reached forward and took one of his hands in hers. "I missed you."

He cupped her hand gently and smiled. "I missed you too, Eleena. I meant it when said you and Shansa were what kept me going in that labor camp. Just the chance to see you again."

The asari squeezed his hand and closed her eyes. "I never dreamed you'd be standing her in front of me after what happened with Cerberus." She slowly pulled her hand back and fluttered her eyes open. "I need to keep working, Will, but I do want to talk more. Let's go for a walk later?"

Will's smile slackened softly. "Absolutely."

Eleena stood still for a moment, as though she was debating with herself internally, before leaning forward and kissing his cheek. She winked with a warm smile and began stepping back toward the console she had been working at. Will let his arm fall to his side and turned for the door, stepping out into the hallway before allowing an enormous smile to finally spread across his face.


	17. Chapter 17

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 17**

_**ISV Trueshot, in orbit over Illium** _

"She handles like a dream," Shansa commented.

Kay stood behind the pilot's seat with her arms crossed and eyes carefully watching her sister. Shansa's hands danced across the controls as she tested the handling of the  _Trueshot_.

Will was at Kay's side, also eying Shansa. "A dream, huh?"

Shansa nodded once, fully engrossed in piloting the ship. "Compared to the  _Hyperion?_ A dream is putting it lightly." She bit her lip momentarily and glanced over to her engineering panel. "I can't wait to see what she can do when Eleena starts making some modifications. Before and after she worked on the  _Hyperion_ was like night and day."

Flying was about the only time Shansa spoke without her usual bubbly ebb and flow. She devoted every possible ounce of concentration to her craft, and it showed.

"She's already better than me," Kay muttered. "I've been flying this thing for years, and she's better than me."

"You sound surprised," Will said with a smirk. "Shansa was a better pilot than your parents even back on Arvuna when she was just flying those harvesters."

"I think I'm pretty acclimated," Shansa interjected, still quite stoically. "Where are we headed?"

Kay raised a brow and glanced over to Will. "That's your call."

Will raised a brow. "Me? This is your ship, Kay."

"No shit! But this is your mission," Kay replied. "I'm here to help while you call the shots. As long as the shots aren't stupid."

"Appreciate the vote of confidence," Will said in return. "That said, I didn't think you'd be so eager to help. I mean, this isn't exactly going to pay much. Or anything."

"I do care about more things than money, Will." Kay put a hand on his shoulder. "Helping my family is one of them. So is killing slavers."

Will gave her a small grin. "That's all I needed to hear."

Shansa tapped a few buttons to lock the ship into orbit and peered over the back of the seat. "Hold on a second. You were really serious about  _killing_  this guy? Janson?"

Will looked back to her and narrowed his eyes. "Yes."

She furrowed her brow and stood from the chair. "Kay, can you give us a second?"

Kay let out a sigh and turned without arguing. "Yeah, yeah, I'll be downstairs."

After she had descended down one of the stairwells at the aft end of the deck, Shansa stepped closer to Will and looked him up and down.

"I know I've asked this ten times now, but are you sure you're okay, Will?" She tilted her head and looked up to his eyes.

"I really wish people would stop asking me that question," Will muttered.

Shansa smirked softly. "People usually ask that question when they think someone isn't acting like themselves."

Will crossed his arms. "You don't think I'm acting like myself?"

"No, I just..." Shansa paused for a moment. "Obviously you are, or I wouldn't think you're actually you." She frowned softly. "But you've gotta understand why I'm worried. I've never heard you say that you want to  _kill_ someone, Will."

"Whether you've heard it before or not, I have wanted to kill someone before," Will corrected her. "Nox Ag'aren. For nearly killing  _you._ "

"That was his lieutenant who nearly killed me," Shansa pointed out. "And he died in the firefight where I got hit."

Will sighed. "Either way, Ag'aren was the one orchestrating everything. He killed people, and he deserved to die. The same goes for Janson."

"You wouldn't rather seem him jailed?" She asked.

"Who in the hell would jail him?" Will asked with a laugh. "We're not a law enforcement agency, and we don't have the hard evidence to prove anything."

"The Alliance is always hunting slavers," Shansa reminded him.

"But, like I already said, we have no evidence even if we did capture Janson alive," Will countered.

Shansa shrugged. "We know a Spectre."

Will stayed silent for a few seconds. "A Terminus slaver isn't worth a Spectre's time. And the authority the Spectres enforce doesn't care about someone that insignificant in the grand scheme of things."

"You're making up answers to hide the real reason you want to kill him," Shansa said as she tapped her foot anxiously. "I know you, Will. I know when you're deflecting."

"I'm not deflecting a damn thing!" Will shouted. "I want to kill Janson because he very nearly ruined my life, and didruin the lives of a hundred or thousand people less fortunate than me." He clenched his teeth. "He doesn't deserve the chance to repent for the kinds of things he's done. He doesn't deserve to  _live._ "

Shansa stared up to him. "I don't care about what happens to Janson," she quietly admitted. "I care about what happens to  _you_  after you've hunted down and murdered someone."

Will opened his mouth to speak, but stopped as he realized he had no immediate response. Shansa continued to stare and shook her head softly.

"This is why I'm worried about you, Will. The urge to kill someone, no matter how justified it is..." her voice trailed off. "I'm here if you ever need to talk. Please know that."

"I know," Will answered, feeling a tinge of guilt. "Let's just focus on what our next step is." He looked to the side.

"That's something we should be talking to the whole group about," she suggested.

Will nodded in agreement and raised his omnitool to type out a quick message to Kay. A few seconds after hitting send the ship-wide comms activated and her voice came booming through.

" _Everyone up to the operations deck!"_

"She's certainly the master of the vessel still," Shansa noted.

Will crossed his arms as he heard footsteps echoing from the stairwell in the rear of the ship. "As long as she remembers the mission and ship are different entities, as she claims she will, we should be okay." He glanced over to Shansa. "She's never been great at respecting orders. Or the person in charge."

"She respects you," Shansa noted. "She told me all about it when we were talking the other night."

Kay and Fynnis were the first to reach the top of the stairs and walk toward the meeting table at the center of the room. Will raised a brow curiously to Shansa as they approached.

"Really?"

Shansa smiled lightly and nodded once. "Yep."

Will glanced over to Kay as she rounded the table and stretched. When they were children it was no small feat to earn Kay's respect and damn near impossible to make her follow instructions. Will wondered if her cooperation now was due to maturity or her apparent respect for him. Ralliston, Vayren and Eleena arrived soon afterward, each of them hurrying up the stairs and coming to stand around the center of the operations center. Their eyes fell on Kay, who motioned toward Will with an encouraging smile.

"Looks like I'm taking point on this one," Will said with a chuckle. "First off, I want to recognize that none of you owe me anything or need to be here. If you'd like to leave, I'd hold no grudge. Hell, I'd encourage you."

His eyes shifted around the table. Vayren cleared his throat and raised a finger.

"My presence is dependent on the endeavor you plan to take up now that we've located Shansa and Eleena," he informed him.

Will nodded. "Understandable. I'd like to at least finish locating the rest of the crew: T'lees and Tul."

Vayren considered this for a moment. "I'd be glad to offer my continued assistance."

"Thanks," Will replied with a grateful smile.

Eleena cleared her throat. "Will, I thought we already talked about T'lees and Tul."

"I know, I know," Will quickly agreed. "But this isn't about dragging them on board any quests for vengeance. I just want to be sure they're okay."

Shansa shook her head doubtfully. "That might be tough."

"As long as you're willing to try. I just don't want to leave them hanging in the unknown," Will answered simply. "The other important question is what to do with you."

Will's eyes shifted to Ralliston. The turian slunk back as the others turned to look him over.

"I'm here to help," he assured them.

"Unfortunately for you, I'm still having a hard time trusting you," Will countered. "I think you can understand why."

Ralliston looked toward the ground and let out a sigh. "Of course."

Vayren, Fynnis and Kay all shared equally confused expressions. Finally, Kay stepped forward to speak.

"I'm notentirely sure why you're still fucking pissed with this guy," she said.

Will looked Ralliston up and down. "I told you about the series of events that led to our final confrontation with Cerberus. Ralliston was the catalyst for all of that when he betrayed us. I don't forget that kind of thing easily."

The group quietly turned to look to Ralliston as he lifted his chin and stared back to Will. The turian had clinched his fists and narrowed his eyes.

"We both know we've had this conversation half a dozen times already," Ralliston said with a hint of defiance. "It's time you stopped taunting and make a fucking decision. Am I welcome here or not?"

Will raised his brows in surprise as the rest of the crew turned back to him, waiting for an answer. There was a long bout of silence as he considered his words. The turian was right, they were making no progress, and the only way he was going to prove himself trustworthy would be by helping Will first-hand.

"Alright, Ralliston," he finally began. "I'll accept any help you want to offer. But whether or not you can stay on the ship is up to the captain."

Will glanced over to Kay. The woman looked Ralliston over and grinned from ear to ear.

"If he causes any problems I can handle him."

"I wouldn't challenge that if I were any of you," Fynnis advised from the end of the table.

Kay shot her turian companion a playful wink.

Will gave him a concise nod. "Then welcome aboard, Ralliston. I don't want to regret it."

"Are you kidding? You'll regret having considered  _otherwise_ ," Ralliston declared confidently.

Kay snorted. "I like this kid."

Will looked over to Shansa. "You and Eleena said T'lees left you a way to contact her, right?"

Eleena stepped closer to Shansa and nodded. "Yeah, just an ID. She said to only use it if we were in trouble."

"Hold on, it sounds like this lady doesn't want to be found," Fynnis observed.

Will's eyes drifted between Shansa and Eleena. "Did you get that impression when she set off?"

Shansa shrugged. "Hard to say. It's possible she just didn't want any chance of being traced by Cerberus. Or the asari government."

Will raised his finger to his lip and tapped it slowly. She did bring up an interesting point. T'lees had more than enough reasons, both selfish and selfless, to want to distance herself from the remaining members of the  _Hyperion_  crew.

"She thought I was dead at the time," Will pointed out. "That alone could change everything. I think we should make the call."

Eleena glanced over to Shansa. "You've got the ID number."

The woman pulled up her omnitool and tapped in a quick message. The rest of the group watched in patient silence until she pressed the final key and looked around the group.

"Sent."

Will appreciated it when people were curt. "Thanks." He turned his attention back to the rest of the group. "Now I suppose we wait until Shansa gets a response." He cleared his throat raised a brow to Kay. "Think you've got some work your new crew members could jump on?"

Kay smirked. "Plenty. Eleena's already working some magic down in that engineering compartment, but Fynnis and I could use a hand getting some work done on this fucked up Kodiak." She pointed toward Ralliston. "How are you with manual labor?"

"Uhh, just fine, I guess," the turian answered.

"Great! You're with us." Kay looked over to Shansa and Eleena. "You two keep doing whatever you're doing." She glanced toward Vayren. "And, uh, you do whatever the hell you want."

The salarian looked unfazed. "As I was planning."

As the crew began to file out of the room, Eleena stepped up to Will and gave him a warm smile. He returned the smile and watched as she came to a stop and waited for the others to move out of earshot.

"We didn't get to go on that walk," she pointed out.

"Yeah," Will said with a small grin. "I guess Kay didn't want to stay around and get hit with another day of docking fees."

Eleena chuckled. "Given how expensive the hotels are on Illium, I can imagine the spaceports are just as bad." She motioned toward the stairs. "I need to finish the rest of my initial diagnostic work before we head into FTL again. But why don't you stop by again in a few hours so we can talk?"

"I'd like that," he answered.

"I know you would," she quipped.

The asari reached up and ruffled his admittedly longer-than-normal hair and turned to strut confidently toward the stairs. Will reached up and ran his fingers through his hair to push it back into place as he watched her go. He blinked as a shape in one of the dark corners of the room caught his eye and stepped out into the light.

"God, Vayren, you scared the hell out of me," he muttered.

The salarian smirked and approached Will with his hands held diplomatically behind his back. "To be fair, this ship has very shoddy lighting."

Will looked up to the ceiling. "Pretty sure they just keep the lights intentionally low."

"But of course. What worth does a bandit's vessel have if one can actually see while on board?"

Will chuckled and glanced back down. "You need something, Vayren?"

The Spectre raised his chin. "I just wanted you to know that I will gladly continue to help you in your search."

"Yeah, you mentioned that already." Will raised a brow curiously.

"I... also wanted to ask that you do not rely on my authority as a Spectre from here on out," he said firmly.

Will frowned and let his arms drop to his side. "Eh, fuck. I'm sorry, Vayren." He let out a deep sigh. "I've been worried about this since the first time I asked for your help."

The salarian raised a finger. "Allow me to cut your apology short. I have no problem helping you, Hume." He paused and frowned. "But I cannot in good conscience continue to use the authority. Not at the moment."

"Yeah, I figured. We're not exactly fighting a galactic threat," Will said with a small grin.

"It's not that. In fact, I haven't been entirely honest with you since you contacted me a few weeks ago." Vayren sighed and shook his head. "I'm not just taking a vacation at the moment. I'm on a leave of absence."

Will stared the salarian down. "You're leaving the Spectres?"

"No, no," Vayren objected. "What I told you before was true. I  _had_  been on assignment from the moment I received my Spectre commendation to just two weeks ago." He smirked knowingly. "Which is quite a while for a salarian. But, for now, I have forwarded all of my mission dossiers to other agents. And I'm not  _required_  to return unless I so desire."

"So you're saying that you're on your way out of the organization?" Will asked curiously.

Vayren placed a hand over his eyes. "I'm not explaining this well."

"No, I think you're explaining it just fine," Will countered. "You're on 'slightly more than a break.' I'm just trying to figure out why."

The salarian lowered his hand. "That is personal," he said curtly.

"Then allow me to stop prying," Will said with a small laugh. "I'm just happy you're here to help. Spectre status or no."

Vayren took a deep breath and gave him a nod of affirmation. "It's good to hear that."

Will grinned. "You didn't think I just wanted you around for the Spectre codes, did you?"

"The notion had... crossed my mind once or twice," he admitted.

Will chuckled and began walking toward the stairs. He gave the salarian a slap on the shoulder as he passed by and shook his head.

"Don't be ridiculous. You're here because of that grand sense of humor!"

The salarian gave him an unamused stare. "I sincerely hope you're not constructing any tactics around my funny bone."

Will glanced over his shoulder as he continued walking toward the stairs. "Sorry, Vayren, I'd give you the details of all my secret plans but that kind of information requires  _Spectre_  clearance."

* * *

After waiting for nearly an hour without a response from T'lees, Will decided to make use of himself head into the cargo bay where Kay, Fynnis and Ralliston were working on the Kodiak. Upon arriving he was told that the three of them were nearly at their limit of knowledge and capability for the repairs, and that Eleena would be needed sooner rather than later. Fynnis, however, did seem to be comfortable with handling the computational side of things. Whether or not the confidence could be backed up with competence remained to be proven, at least to Will. Tul'Sorrin was a master at his craft, and the quarian had set Will's expectations almost insurmountably high. But he was willing to give the turian a shot.

"Okay, I'm calling it," Kay shouted from the back of the Kodiak. "I don't know if the Eclipse made modifications back here or what, but these thrusters look nothing like the schematics I pulled from the extranet."

Will chuckled as he leaned against the side of the shuttle. "I think it's time you let the professional take over. You know, once she's done in the engine room."

"Let the professional take over," Fynnis repeated. "Just like the profession is taking over flying." He gave Will a suspicious look. "I'd better not catch you trying to take over my position as sarcastic, borderline obnoxious turian technician."

"You kidding? I can't be bothered with that. I'm working on ousting Kay from her lucrative 'Captain' title," Will jested.

Kay poked her head around the corner and narrowed her eyes. "Do I need to kick your ass?"

Will grinned in return and shrugged innocently. Ralliston jumped from the roof of the shuttle and landed beside him with a heavy thud. Fynnis, who was standing in the open doorway of the Kodiak, looked to the fellow turian and activated his omnitool.

"Is that wiring in place?"

Ralliston nodded once. "Should be."

Fynnis spun on his heel to head back toward the cockpit. "Appreciated."

Ralliston turned to face Will. "Now what?"

Will let out a sigh. "Now it sounds like we wait for Eleena to get to work."

"Yeah, there's no way I'm messing with that shit anymore," Kay added as she rounded the back of the Kodiak and walked up to them.

"So what's the plan then, captain?" Will inquired.

Kay rolled her shoulders and began stretching her arms. "I was thinkin' of rolling out that mat. Either of you up for a little sparring?"

Ralliston chuckled. "Did you say, 'either of you?' As in, extending the invitation to me as well? How much of a handicap would I have to give you?"

"Someone thinks he's hot shit," Kay said as she looked the turian up and down with hungry eyes. "Sounds like that someone needs to be put in their place!"

Will snorted. "Or two people."

Kay raised a finger to Will. "You're next, smart-ass. But first," she turned toward the aft end of the cargo bay. "Help me get this mat setup, R."

Ralliston laughed and hurried after her, clearly eager for the challenge. Will remained by the Kodiak and watched as the two of them began pulling the pieces of matting to an appropriate spot and setting them into place. He glanced over his shoulder as he heard Fynnis step back out of the cockpit and into the doorway once again.

"I miss something?"

"Kay and Ralliston are sparring," Will explained. "Both of them need an ego check, so I can't decide who I want to win."

"Kay, obviously," Fynnis answered. "I don't know if she's  _ever_  lost a hand-to-hand fight. Who knows how she'll react if she does." He glanced down to Will and stared intently. "She could kill every single one of us in a fit of rage."

Will smirked and watched as the two fighters prepared themselves. "I'd like to think that, collectively, the entire crew could handle one person."

"I'd like a lot of things," Fynnis joked as he dropped down to the deck.

The two of them watched silently as Kay and Ralliston gave one another a respectful nod before assuming combat stances. Will kept his eyes on them as he cleared his throat to catch the attention of the turian beside him.

"Has Kay always been this... alpha?" Will asked.

"Eh, it comes and goes. But you've known her a lot longer than I have," Fynnis pointed out.

Will nodded. "She was always a bit of a... well, let's just say trouble-maker. But I think being out here on the  _Trueshot_  really shaped her."

"You saying that's a bad thing?" Fynnis asked.

"No, not at all," Will answered quickly. "I mean, sure, maybe there are some subjects on which she has  _slightly_  questionable morals."

"Heh, I don't know if you can judge on that point," Fynnis mused. "You do want to murder someone."

"I don't 'want to murder' Janson," Will grumbled. "I just want him to stop ruining lives."

"Mhmm," Fynnis commented mildly.

Will shot him a look. "And I never said I wasn't a hypocrite."

Just as he looked away from where Kay and Ralliston had been circling, waiting for the other to make the first move, he heard a loud thud and grunt. Will whipped his head back to see Ralliston on his back with Kay standing over him, grinning wickedly. She offered a hand up, which the turian slid back from before jumping back up to his feet and raising his fists once again.

"Damn, I missed it," Will muttered.

"That's how Kay fights," Fynnis chuckled. "Blink and you won't even see it coming."

Will kept his eyes straight ahead. "You like flying with her?"

"What? Of course. I wouldn't be here if I didn't," Fynnis answered.

"Just curious," Will clarified.

Ralliston lunged forward and caught Kay in the arm with a powerful hook, one that she had apparently not anticipated. She stumbled back slightly before catching herself and lurching forward to counterattack. The turian sidestepped, but lost his footing and nearly tripped.

"I mean, it's always exciting," Fynnis continued. "Pay isn't the best, but what is out here? You know, outside the shit you have to sell your soul for."

Will nodded, still watching the fight closely. "I hear you there."

Just as Kay turned to come back in for another hit, Ralliston caught her with a low punch and struck her right in the stomach. She tumbled backward and rolled to a stop, coughing to catch her breath. Fynnis visibly perked up at the sequence of events. Kay quickly recovered herself and waved off the offer of a helping hand from Ralliston.

"You two seem a lot closer than I would have expected," Will mentioned as Kay and Ralliston assumed their stances once again.

"Do we?" Fynnis gave him a quick glance. "I mean, we've been friends for a few years now. For a while we were the only two people on the ship."

Will nodded. "That's true. Shansa and I were in the same situation for a while," he noted. "I guess I've found it a little strange that a turian would be totally fine with getting his ass kicked by a human on a regular basis."

Fynnis laughed and crossed his arms. "I'm  _pretty_ sure that's xenophobic," he mused. "Turians respect their superiors, no matter what their species."

"Hah, sorry," Will apologized. "You hear a lot of misinformation after being at war with another species."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Fynnis chuckled. "But, between you and me, there  _are_  plenty of turians out there with that kind of attitude. Hell, doesn't even have to be a turian. You can find people of any species that have some intolerance."

As he finished speaking, Kay dodged a powerful swing by Ralliston and caught him in the lower torso. The turian buckled from the hit before taking another to one of his shoulders, sending him down to the mat with a loud thump. Kay laughed with the remaining breath she had before dropping to one knee and offering a hand, not up, but to shake. The turian rolled himself into a sitting position and shook once. A ping rang out from Will's omnitool, which he quickly activated to see a message from Eleena informing him that she had finished her work in the engine room.

With a broad smile he turned off the omnitool and gave Fynnis a nod. "Thanks for the talk."

"Oh, sure, just leave me here all alone," Fynnis replied. "With the two people trying to kill each other."

"Go find Shansa, I'm sure you could answer some more of her questions about the ship," Will said, starting off for the door.

He passed by Kay and Ralliston and gave them a shake of his head. The turian waved him off, still catching his breath, while Kay winked and pulled herself to her feet. Will stepped through the door into the hall and briskly made his way to the engineering compartment where he assumed Eleena was waiting. As the door opened he saw the asari standing at one of the consoles in the back corner of the room near what he believed was the access point to one of the thrusters. She bit her lip in concentration and glanced over to see him out of the corner of her eye. Eleena continued tapping away at her console and held up a hand to beckon him inside.

"I thought you said you were done," Will mentioned as he closed the door and approached her.

"I thought you would take longer than thirty seconds to get here," she rebutted with a grin.

The asari made a few more keystrokes before turning to face him with an excited smile. Will came to a stop and leaned against the wall a few feet away.

"Sounds like you're enjoying yourself down here," he observed.

"I knew having a turian FTL core would be nice," she glanced over to her side where it hummed idly. "They've been flying for a damn long time, so they know how to make them efficient and low-maintenance. Unlike the  _Hyperion._ "

Will smirked. "Be nice! Humans had only been making FTL cores for a few years when the  _Hyperion_  was launched."

"Uggh, I know!" She looked back to him with a grin. "I've told you a million times how fuckin' impressed I am that you humans put a core together that well so early in your FTL history. But that doesn't change the fact that everyone else in the galaxy has been making them much better for a lot longer."

"Just want to make sure credit is given where due," Will pointed out.

"And you deserve every bit of it," Eleena teased. "But like I was saying, this core is a wonder to work with. It's decades old and requires a little bit of babysitting, but nothing nearly as bad as the  _Hyperion._  Which means I have much more attention to give to these." She turned to the thrusters and sighed happily. "Military-grade! I still can't believe Kay got her hands on a retired vessel from the turian fleet, but damn am I not complaining. These things were built to out run and out maneuver anything in its day." Eleena glanced over to Will and shrugged. "Sure as hell isn't gonna beat any council navy vessel nowadays, but most of the ships out in the Terminus can't hold a candle to this in terms of raw power."

Will raised a brow. "You need to take a few minutes to calm down or does the  _Trueshot_  need to prepare to embrace eternity?"

Eleena rolled her eyes and turned back to face him. "You of all people should be able to tell the difference between my aroused voice and by mechanically enamored voice."

"You sure?" Will gave her a jokingly-seductive look. "Maybe I need a refresher."

She gave him a quick punch to the arm and stepped by to walk to the center of the room. Will chuckled and followed after her, watching as she slowly looked around the engineering compartment with wide eyes.

"Goddess, it feels good to be back in the-" She stopped mid sentence and frowned. "Almost said  _'Hyperion.'_ "

"Yeah, I've nearly made that mistake as well," Will said with a bittersweet smile.

Eleena spun back to face him. "Just seeing you again almost makes me forget that we ever left."

"We didn't exactly leave," he reminded her.

She nodded solemnly. "I just hope Cerberus never recovers enough to do the same thing to someone else."

Will smirked. "That makes two of us."

Without warning, Eleena let out a deep sigh as though she was trying to compose herself. Her hands reached forward to grab his, gently running her fingers along his skin for a moment before gripping them. Will looked down to see her hands in his before returning to meet her gaze. She took another small, calming breath.

"It's starting to sink in," she said. "I can stand here and  _talk_  to you again."

"I am known for my standing and talking skills," he mused.

Eleena seemed to disregard the joke and simply lower her voice. "Will, I dream about you. Vividly." She took a moment before finishing her thought. "Only in the last few months have I been able to sleep through them without waking up and sobbing. Or screaming."

He frowned and tilted his head. "Screaming?"

"In anger," she quietly clarified. "Anger toward Cerberus. Kallux. Myself for letting you throw your life away without even saying goodbye."

"We said goodbye," he reminded her.

"Yeah, and 'see you soon,'" Eleena quickly corrected. "I was even angry at you. For tricking me like that."

Will looked to the floor. "It wasn't right of me. I know that."

"You don't have to defend yourself," Eleena said, her voice regaining its strength. "I know why you did it. Fuck, I'd have done the same thing if I were you." She smiled weakly. "Hell, it worked, didn't it? Could have gone a lot smoother, but it also could have been much worse."

Will turned his eyes back up. "Eleena, I know this has been hard and that you're not ready to-"

She held a finger up to silence him. "Will, shush." The asari reached up and ran her fingers through his hair once again. "I still love you. But I can't just...  _be_ in love with you again. Not at the snap of my fingers."

"So where does that leave us?" He asked.

"Not where we left off," Eleena answered. "But that's not a bad thing." She leaned forward and kissed him softly on the lips. "I need to take this one step at a time, Will."

"I guess I can live with that," Will said with a wink.

"You'd better," she said, pushing a finger into his chest. "I won't have you dying with it, at the very least."

He chuckled and looked over to the FTL core. "I  _know_ you're itching to tell me more about this thing."

"You have no idea," Eleena affirmed. "I mean, turian engineering at its finest!"

His omnitool pinged softly, catching the attention of them both. Will looked down in surprise to see a message from an unknown ID number, forwarded by Shansa.

Eleena looked down with him. "Damn. I guess she's alive still."

"You sound surprised," Will mentioned offhandedly as he opened up the message.

_If you are who you say you are, come to the Rellistora spaceport, planet Invictus. Docking bay 141 will be open and awaiting your arrival._

"Doesn't seem right," Eleena said, almost as though she had read Will's mind.

"Sure doesn't," he agreed. "But that's never stopped us in the past."

"It has led to you getting spaced," she reminded him.

Will gave her a sly grin. "Yeah, but what are the odds of that happening twice?"


	18. Chapter 18

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 18**

_**ISV Trueshot, en route to Invictus, Caestus System** _

Kay and Will stood in the cargo bay. The former tapped her foot anxiously awaiting an answer to the question that she had been dying to have answered for years. The latter was standing patiently with his arms crossed, watching as Eleena read through data on her omnitool. The asari was leaning into a half-open access panel on the back of a protruding portion of the port cargo bay wall that, just like the one that mirrored it on the starboard side, housed the inactive cannons of the  _Trueshot._ Kay's eyes darted between Will and Eleena.

"Does she always take this long?" She asked.

"She takes as long as she needs to," Will answered, with a sly smirk. "Sometimes it's fast, sometimes you shut your mouth and wait."

"You won't have to wait much longer," Eleena called, her voice muffled from the fact that she was still half inside the gun battery.

Will gave Kay a quick look. "Happy?"

Eleena let out a sigh as she pulled herself back out of the hatch and sent it sliding shut. The asari turned and casually approached Will and Kay, looking to them both before grinning and nodding once.

"I think I can make it work."

Kay's eyes widened. "Are you sure?"

Eleena shrugged. "You were right about the fact that these things are missing some crucial components, but if you're willing to do a little shady shopping I don't think it'll be too hard to find what you need."

Kay let out a small laugh. "Are you kidding? It's a rare occasion when I buy something through means  _other_ than the black market."

"You know, Invictus is a turian colony," Will pointed out. "And this is a turian warship. You might be able to find what you need down there."

"Oh, I'm very aware," Kay said, giddily.

The excitement came to a quick halt. Kay looked to the side as she further considered the implications.

"Wait, this is a turian warship," she reiterated. "Shit, I need to talk to Fynnis."

Kay hurried off to the door and disappeared into the hall, leaving Will and Eleena to watch her disappear while standing together in the cargo bay.

"She doesn't plan ahead too much, does she?" Eleena asked with a hint of amusement.

"I think she'd argue that she just likes to play things by ear," Will chuckled.

"Mhmm," Eleena replied dismissively. "Think we should find out what she's concerned about?"

Will sighed and shook his head. "Yeah, probably. Come on."

The two of them walked side by side to the door, where Will slowed and nodded Eleena along.

"Aren't you considerate," Eleena teased as she passed by.

Will smirked and followed her through the door and into the hallway. Eleena was already comfortable with the ship and gladly led them around the first corner and into the port-side hallway that ended at one of the ship's stairwells. After ascending to the upper level, Will quickened his pace to catch up with Eleena as they neared the cockpit. Shansa and Fynnis were seated in the the pilot and copilot seats, respectively, with Kay standing behind them, her hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Now you're  _sure_  they won't start asking questions?" Kay asked.

Fynnis sighed and rotated the chair around to face her. "No, I'm  _not_ sure. But it's a just a colony, and one with little governmental oversight from the Hierarchy."

Will and Eleena slowed to a stop a few feet away and listened.

Kay grumbled and crossed her arms. "That's not terribly convincing. The last thing I want is a turian warship on our asses."

"And why would that happen?" Shansa asked as she joined in rotating her seat.

Kay blinked and stared down at Shansa. "Uhh, well..."

"I'd love to know the answer to that question as well," Will chimed in.

"Okay, before I say anything, I'm just going to remind you all that you've never asked about thisbefore now," Kay reminded them, glancing from Shansa back to Will.

"What's the issue, Kay?" Shansa asked sternly.

Kay sighed irritably. "I've told you all about Drasa, who was captain of the  _Trueshot_ and brought me aboard."

"I wouldn't say you've told us, 'all about' her," Will corrected her.

"You know she exists," Kay restated.

Will could see Fynnis out of the corner of his eye. The turian looked downright tickled at how flustered Kay had become, and was watching from his seat with his mandibles flared just slightly in what looked like a smile.

"You see, Drasa was in the navy," Kay continued. "She was XO on a few ships, actually." She took a deep breath. "Long story short: she kind of, ya know, deserted."

Everyone remained silent, waiting for her to continue.

Kay sighed again. "And stole a decommissioned ship." She held her hands out to indicate the ship around them.

After a few seconds of silence Fynnis let out a small cackle. "Oh, Spirits, I have been waiting for this conversation."

"You know about this?" Shansa asked the turian.

"Yeah, of course," he laughed. "Kay bragged about it all the time when I first joined the crew. Guess she was a little embarrassed when she found out that you and Will-"

"Stop that sentence right now unless you want to learn first hand what happens when a turian is ejected from an airlock," Kay interrupted.

Will raised a brow. Was it possible that Kay could have actually been  _ashamed_ of something?

"I'm not  _embarrassed_  you fucking twit," she continued. "Now are we going to be okay landing on Invictus or not?"

Fynnis readjusted himself in his seat. "I've already answered that."

Shansa shifted her gaze from Fynnis to Kay. "So?"

"So what?" Kay asked.

"Do we continue with our approach?" Shansa inquired, her hand hovering near the flight controls.

Kay took a deep breath and nodded. "Yeah. If they start asking questions we'll jump out of the system and come back in the Kodiak or something."

"I've heard worse plans," Shansa joked as she spun back to face her controls.

* * *

Shansa handled the  _Trueshot_ as well in atmosphere as she did in space. After a surprisingly and almost suspiciously quick discussion with a flight control officer, the ship was directed toward a berth in Rellistora's spaceport. Shansa mentioned the docking bay they had been directed toward in the message from T'lees and was quickly instructed to their new berth.

"Hope you guys like it hot," Shansa mentioned as she read through the travel information on Invictus.

Will and Fynnis were the only two in the cockpit. The others were down in the crew's quarters equipping themselves with their gear. They had not received any new information from T'lees on where or when they were to meet her, so Will had ordered everyone to be ready for a search. He was hoping that she would simply be there to meet them at the docking bay, but he'd learned better than to hope for things. He had to prepare for the worst case scenario.

"Not just hot," Fynnis added. "The gravity is a  _bitch._  Especially compared to the slightly-lowered levels we run on the ship. Just walking down the street is a pain in the ass."

Will shot him a suspicious glance. "You've been here before? I thought you grew up on Omega."

The turian straightened his posture. "Uh, well, you know. You get around."

The ship was hurtling toward the surface at Shansa's careful control. Out the window Will could see the rather bleak landscape of a tan desert that expanded uninterrupted in every direction. That is, unless one looked straight ahead to the distant city that was slowly creeping over the curvature of the planet toward them.

"There's Rellistora," Shansa commented. "Says here it's known as the Oasis of Invictus."

"Huge city in the middle of the desert? I can see why," Will chuckled.

Fynnis shrugged. "Actually, it's more a comment on the planet as a whole. Almost every place _outside_  the desert is uninhabitable. Hell, they might as well call the deserts themselves the oasis."

"Reminds me of Rakarn," Shansa said as she began to slow the the ship for approach.

"Rakarn?" Fynnis asked.

"Big city in the middle of the desert on Tuchanka," Shansa answered. "So pretty much the same. Minus the radiation. And the fact that most of the buildings here actually appear to be inhabited."

"And still standing," Will laughed.

Shansa had already brought them in over the spaceport and was cautiously guiding them along the flight path to their berth. Will could tell that she was noticeably more reserved while flying now, but he was fairly certain this was simply due to the new ship. The  _Trueshot_  was an easy fit in the docking bay, which was clearly designed to hold the largest of ships capable of entering a planet's atmosphere. Shansa held the ship in place perfectly as the mass effect field locks took over and secured it in place while the boarding ramp extended to automatically line up with the starboard airlock.

"Ship is docked, locks engaged," Shansa reported over the ship-wide comm. "Beginning the post-flight checklist. Prepare for deactivation of artificial gravity."

A few seconds later Will grunted as a weight began tugging him toward the floor. Fynnis had not been joking about the high gravity of Invictus.

"I'll go see if the others are ready to get moving," Will said.

Shansa gave him a quick nod, still concentrating on her work. She had equipped her armor earlier, knowing that she would be required to bring the ship into dock. Shansa still wore the same hardsuit that she had purchased just a few days before they had been sent to investigate the disappearances on Garvug that led to their confrontation with Cerberus. Fynnis had joined Shansa in running down the checklist, surprisingly, leaving Will to turn and head back toward the stairs. He made his way to the bunkroom where the rest of the crew just finishing up with their gear. Unlike the  _Hyperion,_  the  _Trueshot_ had ample locker space in its bunkroom, but Will preferred to keep his armor in the equipment storage located beside each of the workbenches in the cargo bay. However, he had been fully dressed in his combat gear for hours now. He stepped into the bunkroom to see Eleena and Kay doing quick checks on their equipment while Ralliston and Vayren stood to the side speaking casually to one another.

"Weird to think you're as old as I am," Ralliston said.

Will came to a stop after stepping inside the room and leaned against the wall, waiting as the others finished their business.

"Is it?" Vayren asked. "You will live twice or three times as long as I will, after all."

"That's making a lot of assumptions," Ralliston laughed.

Vayren rolled his eyes. "You know what I meant."

"Yeah, just fucking with you," Ralliston chuckled. "But seriously, it sounds like you've done some crazy shit. And in only twenty-three years? I gotta get off my ass."

"You've done plenty," Will interjected. "That is, if what you've told me is true."

The turian nodded. "That's true. But nothing like this guy. He's been telling me about his STG days."

Vayren smirked. "The unclassified missions, of course."

Eleena slid her SMG into its holster on her lower back and turned to face them. "And now you're hanging out with a bunch of drifters and mercenaries," she jabbed.

"Consider me an emissary of sanity," he shot back with a small smile.

"Then I'll be the diplomat of  _excitement_ ," Kay declared while closing her locker. "Landing go smooth?"

"I didn't see any soldiers in the docking bay, if that's what you mean," Will smirked.

Kay shrugged. "Good enough for me. We doing this?"

Will raised his omnitool and opened the comm. "Shansa, how's it going up there?"

" _We're wrapping up right now. Fynnis and I will head down to the airlock."_

"Then to answer your question, yes," Will responded to Kay.

"So what exactly are we doing standing around here?" Kay asked while taking a step toward the door.

Eleena watched as she walked by and stepped through the door. "Waiting for your lead, apparently."

Will, Ralliston, Eleena and Vayren all followed her out into the hallway where Shansa and Fynnis came marching down from the upper level to meet them at the airlock door. Kay tapped the airlock door and stepped to the side, hold out her arm.

"Gonna be a tight fit," she mentioned while nodding toward the decontamination chamber.

Will was the first inside, followed by Ralliston. One by one the others followed in after him, with Kay entering at the very end. She was right about the fit. As the inner door shut, Fynnis opened the outer hatch and stepped out onto the loading ramp, taking in a deep breath.

"No misting?" Ralliston asked as he walked out behind him.

"While disembarking? Just a waste of decontaminant," Kay commented with a sigh. "We just use it on the way in."

The rest of the crew filed out onto the docking ramp and into the harsh midday sun. Will glanced up into the sky where the sun loomed like an ominous, taunting yet unconquerable foe. He shook his head and looked back down to the private docking bay they had landed in. The length and height of the Colosseum-sized berth was staggering, especially considering that there were dozens of other bays this size or slightly smaller in the spaceport.

"Big city?" Will asked as he started off down the ramp toward a door on the nearest wall.

"Very," Vayren answered. "No one is sure exactly  _how_ large, however. The lax laws on Invictus make it a hotspot for organized crime, illegal immigration, and 'research' ventures with less-than-legal practices."

"Damn, really?" Kay took in a deep breath of the dry air. "How have I never been here?"

Ralliston sighed. "This place sounds like Omega with a better location for trading to and from Council space."

"Not only that, but the Hierarchy will protect them from any kind of hostility," Vayren added. "Invictus is turian colony, after all."

The door opened automatically as Will and the rest of the squad approached it, allowing them to step inside a room with several booths setup and lines painted on the ground between them to hold the place of empty queues. Standing at the center of the booths was a single turian holding a holopad in his hand. He looked up quite expectantly and nodded to welcome them.

"Hello there."

Will glanced back to the others briefly before turning to the turian and taking a step forward. "Uh, hello. Can I help you?"

"You can," the turian answered. "Polite. I appreciate that," said quietly while tapping a few commands into his holopad. "I'll need your ID numbers, please."

"Can I ask why?" Will inquired. "And who you are?"

"I'm one of the dock managers." The turian glanced up. "And I need to verify that you are authorized to land here. I can't just let anyone leave their ship in this docking bay."

"Uh, alright." Will walked forward and held out his omnitool, still slightly confused. "I was planning on meeting someone here. Fayneer T'lees?"

The turian transferred the data Will offered and shook his head. "I don't know her. This berth is being rented by a private organization. And you're not one of the normal ships that I see here. But our client has a standing order to let any ship that requests this berth specifically be allowed to land and have their information collected." The dock manager shook his head. "Hmm, well this won't do." He looked up. "You're not on the whitelist, I'm afraid." The turian looked back to the crew. "Come on, then. I'll need all of you."

One by one the crew approached and offered their ID numbers to the turian. He nodded in satisfaction after both Eleena and Shansa had given theirs, making Will feel much less worried. Fynnis had stuck near the back of the group and was the last to offer his ID. The dock manager glanced up to the other turian and fluttered his mandibles.

"Welcome back, Mister Cortillian," the dock manager said.

"Uh, yeah, thanks," Fynnis said dismissively.

Will eyed the turian curiously as he stepped back to the rest of the group. The dock manager tapped through his holopad again before activating his omnitool. He turned himself away from the  _Trueshot_  crew and cleared his throat.

"Yes, they've arrived," he answered to the voice in his earpiece.

Kay rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.

"No, only two of them," the turian continued.

He looked back down to his holopad and tapped through a few screens.

"Yes, those are the ones." The dock manager slowly shifted his eyes to look the group over. "Yes, they are. Quite significantly so."

The room was silent for nearly half a minute before the turian nodded to himself. "Very well. Have a good day, sir."

He turned back and straightened his posture. "Your docking fees are covered. Are any of you planning on staying here more than thirty standard days?"

"If things go the way I hope then we'll be out of here by this time tomorrow," Will answered.

"Good. If that changes, please submit your immigration forms. Until then your ID numbers are all I need." He stood to the side. "A tram service is located through the door at the other end of the room and down the hall about a hundred meters." The turian had remained suspiciously hospitable throughout the entire exchange. "Enjoy your visit."

* * *

"Alright, I'm already over this planet," Kay declared as they stepped outside.

Will smirked as he narrowed his eyes to shield them from the sun. "Just hold it together for a few hours."

"That's mighty optimistic," Shansa jested.

"Call it a hunch," Will replied.

"So where are we headed?" Eleena asked as she stepped up to Will's side.

Vayren chuckled and crossed his arms. "Yes, it might help if we did not have to search an entire city."

Will nodded in agreement as he stared out into the city. It was nothing like New Estrana. Where Illium was mostly vertical, the development in Rellistora simply sprawled out in every direction. The buildings themselves were far more utilitarian, especially the superstructures, and gave Will the sense that everything in the city was done for efficiency or necessity. It was going to be fun finding T'lees in all of this.

"Oh, I got a message a few minutes ago," Shansa said, breaking Will's trance.

He glanced over his shoulder as she activated her omnitool.

"It's from an unknown ID," she continued. "Says to come to a set of coordinates." Shansa looked up. "It also says, 'guns optional.'"

"Your friend doesn't seem especially personable," Kay pointed out with a sly grin.

Will motioned for the group to follow him as he walked toward one of the taxi terminals. "Seeing as she's wanted by the asari government and being chased by commandos, I can understand why she's taking precautions."

Kay hurried up to his side and raised a brow. "She's  _what?_  You didn't mention that." She looked ahead and grinned. "She actually sounds interesting."

"I'll let you set your own expectations," Will said.

Will called up two cabs, enough to transport all seven members of the crew. Shansa used the coordinates she had been sent to find the correlating address in the city and ordered the skycar to a location on the nearby block. Will complimented her on the course of action and their taxi shot into the sky with the second following close behind. During the short flight it became apparent that they were headed toward the industrial district of city. While New Estrana's industrial district had plenty of run-down buildings that appeared to have been abandoned for new structures, Rellistora had just as many dilapidated buildings that were clearly still in use. Will grabbed his seat involuntarily as the skycar took a sudden dip and began descending toward their destination. The group was deposited on a narrow street between two large, blank buildings that soared at least a dozen feet up and hundreds of meters in either direction. The street seemed to be rarely used, which was not surprising given the amount of air traffic above the city. Even in the shadow that was cast across the street, Will still felt the nearly unbearable heat of the planet's sun straining on him.

"So where to, Shan? You've got the map," Will reminded her.

Shansa briefly looked to the squad, all of them waiting on her, and activated her omnitool again. "The exact coordinates are..." She slowly turned to face one of the buildings that surrounded them. "In this building. I think."

"And how do we get in?" Ralliston inquired.

"Shouldn't be too hard," Vayren boasted. "If you've got any infiltration skills."

"That's the two of us," Fynnis pointed out. "We got a plan?"

Will looked up and down the long, chasm of a street. "I see a ladder a ways down. I vote we send one group up while the other looks for a way in on the ground."

"Sounds good to me," Kay decided. "I'll take the rooftop group."

"I'll go with her," Shansa said with a smile.

Vayren and Fynnis looked to one another and the turian quickly turned back to Kay.

"As will I," he said.

"Great. Everyone else is with me," Will declared. "Let's move."

Kay, Shansa and Fynnis gave a quick wave and hurried down the street toward the distant series of ladders ascending toward the roof. Will, Eleena, Vayren and Ralliston turned in the opposite direction and began making their way toward what looked like the exit of the alley.

"T'lees is taking some significant safeguards," Eleena noted.

"It was quite easy to find her the first time," Vayren quipped.

Will felt a smile grow on his lips. "Never thought I'd be breaking into a building with you three again," he paused briefly. "Well, at least not Vayren or Ralliston."

"But me?" Eleena asked.

"I knew I'd find you again," he said confidently. "And given our history, breaking into a building seems kind of inevitable."

She laughed softly and shook her head. It was softer than normal, Will noticed. More controlled and refined, in a way.

"Should we have our guns ready?" Ralliston asked.

"That might not give off the best impression," Will muttered as he stared toward the approaching intersection.

"And I can scout for us," Vayren informed him.

The turian snorted. "No offense intended, but I'd rather take point. Typically your vanguard should be able to take a hit or two."

The salarian raised his omnitool. "Or we can avoid the hits all together," he said while activating his cloaking.

Will and Eleena halted where the alleyway intersected with another, slightly wider street. Vayren's squad indicator slipped around the corner. Will briefly saw what looked like a salarian-shaped ripple just as Vayren passed into the beaming sun that was not blocked in the intersection.

"It's empty out here," Vayren called. "Nothing but cluttered debris. But I do see a door a few meters down."

"Then we'll try that," Will said, heading around the corner.

Eleena and Ralliston followed him as Vayren deactivated his cloaking device and walked toward a nondescript door on the wall of the enormous building.

"Think you can get inside?" Ralliston asked.

Will smirked, knowing the answer already.

"Of course," Vayren chuckled. "Because it's not locked."

He tapped a button on the console and stood back as the door slid apart. Will stood up beside him and crossed his arms, nodding once.

"Damn fine work, Vayren. Damn fine." He glanced over to the salarian. "You're a master of your craft."

Vayren deactivated his omnitool. "There's a reason I was tapped for the Spectres," he remarked sarcastically.

Eleena opened a comm link with the rest of the squad. "This is Eleena. How are things going on the roof?"

" _Perfect,"_  Kay boasted.  _"Found a door up here that Fynnis can hack through."_

The asari gave Will an amused look.

"Let's let them have this one," he grinned.

"We're making our way inside as well," Eleena replied. "Let us know when Fynnis has gotten you all in."

" _Can do,"_  Kay said curtly.

Will stepped forward and peered into the door. Inside was a short hallway with no lights, ending at yet another door of the same size only a few meters in. He wondered briefly if they had stumbled upon an airlock or decontamination chamber. Will activated the flashlight on his omnitool and led the squad forward into the hallway causing the inner door to ping and open automatically. They were now free to enter what looked like the assembly floor of a factory. Around the cavernous room he could see crates and shipping containers stacked two or three stories high. Stairways and catwalks crisscrossed the room in every direction at varying heights, causing the already dim lighting to be fractured.

" _We're inside,"_  Kay's voice reported.

"Good. See anything?" Will asked.

" _Not much. Assembly lines, shipping containers. Looks like some offices a ways off. We're up on some catwalks now."_

He looked up but could not see Kay, Fynnis or Shansa. They must have entered the building far down from the end where Will's group had. He continued into the building, walking slowly and quietly. Each time he reached the corner of a wall or shipping container he peered around the edge out of innate precaution. After a minute or two Eleena tapped his shoulder and held up her omnitool.

"We're only a few meters away from the coordinates," she informed him.

Will looked straight ahead to see what looked like a clearing between the stacks of crates and containers and the lines of machinery that made up an assembly line. He nodded in acknowledgment and stepped out into the open. Will's eyes darted in every direction as he came to a stop in the exact position that Shansa had received from T'lees.

"I don't see anything," he said under his breath.

Eleena, Vayren and Ralliston took up positions around him.

"Me neither," Eleena agreed.

" _Will, I see something!"_  Kay paused for a moment.  _"Snipers."_

"Fuck." Will ducked instinctively. "We haven't been shot at, what are they doing?"

" _It doesn't look like they're taking aim on anything, just waiting,"_  Kay reported.  _"We'll move up and take them out."_

A new voice called out from the shadows behind them. "Call them off."

Will, Eleena, Vayren and Ralliston spun to face a shipping container that was opened on one end and completely enrobed in shadow. Will held up his flashlight to reveal a familiar asari flanked on both sides by two fully armed soldiers. She stepped forward and narrowed her eye.

"Call off your second unit," she repeated. "Or  _my_  second sniper team will make quick work of them."

Will grinned as he watched Fayneer T'lees step out of the shipping container in a set of jet-black combat armor.

"Come on, T'lees. You really gonna have your snipers shoot Shansa?" Will asked as he crossed his arms.

The asari seemed taken aback for a moment. She motioned toward one member of her squad who raised his flashlight on Will and his team. There was a long pause before she spoke.

"So I have been contacted by either a clone... or a ghost," T'lees said, staring Will down from a few meters away. "Either way, I am intrigued."


	19. Chapter 19

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 19**

_**Rellistora, Invictus** _

"Kay, Shan, Fynnis, hold your fire."

" _What? Why?"_  Kay demanded.

Will let out a relieved sigh. "Because I'd rather not have to explain to my friend why you killed her employees."

" _Rrgh, fine."_

T'Lees held her curious look while her guards maintained their aim on Will and his squad.

"So am I going to have to convince you that I was never dead?" Will asked with a raised brow. "I've had plenty of practice over the past few weeks."

The asari slowly drew her gaze over his companions. "You seem to have convinced Ralliston and Vayren, which would lend quite a bit of credibility to your claim." She paused. "But Eleena as well? No, if  _she_  is with you then you will certainly not need to convince me. But I am dreadfully curious about how this is possible."

"It'd be easier to explain if we didn't have guns pointed at us," Ralliston sarcastically remarked.

T'Lees held up her hand, signaling the bodyguards to lower their weapons.

Will opened his comm once again. "Hey, see if you guys can find your way down. It's all clear."

" _Roger,"_ Shansa replied.  _"We're on our way."_

"Forgive the precautions," T'Lees requested. "The asari government does not easily forget fugitives."

Will grinned and walked forward, extending a hand as he did. T'Lees smiled warmly and stepped forward to meet him, grasping his hand as they came to a stop. T'Lees led the shake gently before retracting her hand and crossing her arms over her chest while looking him up and down slowly.

"You are  _quite_  the enigma," T'Lees declared with a small laugh. She returned her eye to meet his. "How?"

"I got out of the  _Hyperion_  before it collided with the Cerberus ship, but not quite fast enough," Will lamented. "Blue Suns picked me up, sold me into slavery, and only a few weeks ago did I get busted out."

The asari's non-covered brow furrowed in concern. "Slavery? William, I am at a loss for words." She shook her head. "But you escaped? And found... quite a few people, I see."

Will glanced over his shoulder. "Yeah. Some of them were proving tougher to track down than I had hoped. Thank god you left that ID number with Shansa and Eleena."

T'Lees smiled briefly. "You are not quite the emergency I was expecting them to use it for."

He chuckled and waved the others forward. Vayren, Ralliston and Eleena all approached and lined up at Will's side, each of them exchanging a hand shake and nod of acknowledgment with T'Lees. Vayren was quite curt despite the warm reception from T'Lees, while the exact opposite was the case between T'Lees and Ralliston. The two asari simply gave one another a small smile and nod.

"So I must ask why you are here," T'Lees said, finally turning back to Will.

"That's not obvious? I'm looking for you," he chuckled.

The asari smirked. "Clearly. But why?"

"Just to make sure you're safe. Cerberus was a threat that we couldn't handle," Will admitted. "I had to know you weren't in danger."

T'Lees shook her head and held back a grin. "Always thinking of the wellness of others," she commented.

Will rolled his eyes. "Yeah, and look what wonders that's done for me in the past. Alienated my friend and his army of mercenaries, thrown into a labor camp for nearly two years, and almost got you and the rest of the crew killed."

"That is not solely on you. The entire  _Hyperion_ crew was there with intentions to do good. You just happened to be leading us." T'Lees chuckled nostalgically and looked to the side. "What a misguided band of fools were we."

"Misguided?" Eleena interrupted. "What was wrong with our intentions?"

T'Lees turned her attention to Eleena. "I suppose misguided is not the right word. Naïve, perhaps? Fighting for 'good' or whatever we deemed to be 'good' out in the Terminus Systems is like trying to beat back a crashing wave with only one's fists."

"I see you've become a bit of a pessimist," Ralliston muttered.

"Realist," T'Lees corrected. "We accomplished incredible things together, but did we change anything?"

"Been asking myself the same damn thing," Will said with a smirk.

The asari took a deep breath and raised her finger. "I am sorry, I have been terribly rude," she said, clearly attempting to change the subject. "We should return to my home for a meal and drinks. This warehouse is not the ideal place to visit with old friends." She smiled and looked to each of them. "Hospitality is the least I can provide to show my appreciation of your concern for my well-being."

"I appreciate it. We weren't planning on just leaving as soon as we found you," Will laughed. "I've got a question or two myself. Such as how you came across a damn army of bodyguards."

"You seem to be implying that I have exhausted  _my_ questions," T'Lees teased. "Come, I will call for another skycar to collect us all."

"Might want to call for two," Will chuckled. "We've got more."

On cue, Shansa, Kay and Fynnis rounded the corner of a shipping container and strode confidently up to the congregation at the center of the clearing.

"Damn right you do," Kay declared, clearly having overheard some of the conversation.

T'Lees looked to Kay and Fynnis briefly before smiling and turning her attention to Shansa. The pilot grinned and jumped forward, giving the asari a hug that she eagerly accepted.

"Shansa! Wonderful to see you," she declared.

Shansa beamed gleefully. "You too, T!" She held out a hand. "And this is Fynnis, a new friend, and my sister Kay!"

Kay was staring at T'Lees in raw fascination, her curiosity clearly centered on the eye-patch strapped to the asari's face. Fynnis held out a hand.

"A pleasure," he said with a nod of his head.

T'Lees shook the hand once before offering the same gesture to Kay. The woman grinned and took the hand, shaking slowly.

"I overheard something about dinner and drinks?" Kay asked.

Shansa rolled her eyes, but T'Lees simply chuckled and nodded. "I believe you did. And if you all are friends of Captain Hume then you are certainly welcome. The skycars should be out front in a minute or so."

T'Lees motioned for the group to follow her as she walked toward one of the passages into the series of crates.

Will sighed. "It's not 'captain' anymore," he muttered to himself.

Eleena, who was walking at his side, reached up and ruffled his hair. "I'm sure there's a saying for this. 'You can take the Captain out of the ship-'"

"-But not even blowing the ship up can take the Captain out of the name," Will finished with an amused roll of his eyes.

* * *

The skycar ride was relatively short, and deposited the group on the rooftop landing zone of a staggeringly tall skyscraper near the center of the city's downtown area. T'Lees promptly led the group to the elevator and out of the heat. After a ride down and several security checks, the elevator car stopped on what was only referred as a "Private Floor" and deposited the group into a large foyer with long halls stretching out to either end of the building. A short walk took them to yet another security door and small entrance room to an apartment unit. The three silent guards that had accompanied them down from the roof were waved off by T'Lees and took up their positions outside in the hallway. T'Lees opened the door from the smaller foyer into the interior of her enormous apartment beautifully furnished with traditional asari décor. After ushering them all in she came to a stop and spun around to face the large group that made up the  _Trueshot_ 's crew.

"Welcome to my home," she announced. "Allow me to remove this hardsuit, would you? It will take but a moment."

"By all means," Will said as he walked toward the floor-to-ceiling window that lined one of the walls.

The asari nodded and strode through a nearby door as the group quickly dispersed around the living room. Shansa and Eleena came to stand on either side of Will and stare out the window at the city that stretched on for miles. Will was thankful that the window had a shading overlay to darken the glass from the afternoon sun. Behind them, Vayren and Ralliston had wandered toward a shelf on the wall that was lined with pieces of art, while Kay and Fynnis were simply staring at the television that was nearly a krogan and a half tall.

"Thank you for excusing me," T'Lees said as she reentered the room.

Will turned to see the asari now wearing a simple but elegant evening dress, but was surprised by the weapon she was carrying in her hands. It was the same that had been stowed on her back when she had greeted them just a short while ago, but Will had not recognized it in the collapsed state. Now, however, it was obvious what she was wielding. She hurried to a wall-mount nearby and lifted up the rifle to hang it between the entry door and the one that she had passed through to change.

"Is that Welkinn's rifle?" Eleena asked before Will could.

After placing the weapon on gun-rack she turned back to face them with a nod. "That is correct."

"Why exactly..." Will raised a brow.

"My shotgun was destroyed on that Cerberus space station," T'Lees reminded him while walking to stand at the center of the room. "I had to replace it with something. Why not something with a little bite?"

"Never really seemed like your style," Will answered with a small laugh.

T'Lees nodded admittedly. "It was certainly difficult to master, as he always said it was. But even I saw the tactical synergy of combining it with a biotic singularity or stasis."

"You see a lot of combat then?" Kay asked as she crossed the room toward her.

"Oh, goddess, no. Not recently, at least," T'Lees laughed. "Certainly not as much as before..." She looked to Will. "You know."

Will gave her an understanding nod. "But you've clearly done well for yourself."

"You could say that," T'Lees agreed as she ushered everyone to the couches and chairs in the seating area. "Please, sit! Would you all like something to drink? Springwine or a liquor of some kind?"

"I'll pass," Vayren said promptly.

"I'll take whatever you've got," Kay said with a grin.

Fynnis cleared his throat. "Anything dextro?"

"Plenty," T'Lees answered with a smile. "This is a turian colony, after all." She looked to the others.

"I'm not picky," Ralliston answered.

"I will need a hand," T'Lees decided.

"Sure," Will said.

Shansa hurried to his side. "I'll help!"

"Excellent, the kitchen is this way," T'Lees said. "Oh, Eleena?"

"Wine is fine with me," the other asari called.

Will and Shansa followed T'Lees through a short hallway to the kitchen where she opened up a few cabinets and began retrieving glasses and bottles.

"So, like I said," Will chuckled. "Doing well for yourself."

T'Lees peered over her shoulder as she set her glasses out on two trays. "I am quite an experienced businesswoman."

"Last I saw you, you were taking a shuttle off of Omega with nothing but a footlocker to your name," Shansa commented as she leaned against the counter. "Now, I don't know much about business, but I'm fairly sure it takes more than just hard work and elbow grease to go from that to a penthouse and bodyguards in just two years."

"You are absolutely right," T'Lees agreed while deftly pouring glasses of wine.

"So you're saying it was more than hard work and elbow grease," Will inquired.

T'Lees corked the bottle and retrieved a container of turian liquor before giving him a small grin. "Right again."

"You don't have to be so secretive about it," Shansa said as she crossed her arms. "We're you're friends."

"I apologize," T'Lees said with a small chuckle. "I was merely seeing how far you were willing to guess."

She poured the dextro-based liquor into two snifters and set the bottle on the counter with a deep sigh before turning to face the two of them. Will was fascinated by the eyepatch she still wore. It looked like the same plain, black piece that Tyrixis had given her years ago _._ He would have expected something nicer, but then again, a fashionable eyepatch might just come across as trying too hard.

"Do you remember what I told you when I left, Shansa?" T'Lees asked softly.

Shansa nodded once. "Yeah. You said you needed to forge your own path or something like that."

T'Lees smiled. "That is correct. However, that was not entirely true. The real reason was that I did not want to involve you or Eleena in what I believed would be a dangerous venture."

"That being, whatever resulted in all of this?" Will asked as he raised his hands to the apartment around him.

"Precisely." The asari's face became much more serious. "I knew of several accounts that Narenthus Antarian had that were off his records. Business accounts that only he, myself and a few others of rank in his organization had access to. Very soon after you were presumed dead, I realized that the crew of the _Hyperion_  was not long to stay together. That is when I took the chance of querying those accounts and discovered that three of the four had been quarantined at some point by the galactic trade network."

"But the fourth..." Shansa said with a slow nod.

"The fourth remained unmoved," T'Lees affirmed. "But I knew that someone could be monitoring them. Someone, for instance, that might be hunting me for breaking Thessian trade law. Even querying the account was a significant risk. That is when I severed ties with Shansa and Eleena and reclaimed it."

Will smirked slightly. "I'm guessing that worked out?"

"I was able to empty the account, yes, but it did not contain as many credits as you might expect," T'Lees answered. "So I located the others."

"The three accounts that had been moved?" Shansa asked.

"Yes. Using the funds from the first account to hire a team of mercenaries, we located the accounts that had been secured only to find they had all been drained just prior to being quarantined. The perpetrator was another one of Antarian's lieutenants, a foul, foul individual. So, with more than a conservative amount of force, I took the remainder of credits back," T'Lees shifted her eye between Will and Shansa. "Then, about a year ago, I invested what I had acquired and became a partner in a business venture here on Invictus." She gave Will a grin. "And I took your advice this time."

"My advice?" Will asked with a confused raise of his brow.

T'Lees nodded. "I have not been known publicly a 'Fayneer T'Lees' for over a year and a half," she answered. "You sarcastically advised that I not use my real name next time I start an illegal business venture. Surprisingly useful advice," she teased.

Shansa rolled her eyes, holding back a laugh. "So what's the name now?"

"Oh, to you and the others I am still Fayneer T'Lees," she answered with an air of amusement. "But to the outside world and my business partners I am Caesoris Winsera."

"Well met, Caesoris. And I'm dying to hear more about all of this, but we should probably get these drinks in there," he suggested.

T'Lees nodded in agreement and slid her fingers under one of the trays. Will grabbed the second, leaving Shansa to grab the two bottles in case refills were requested. The three of them walked back into the living room where the rest of the team was lounging and talking, except Vayren, who stood back and watched the others. T'Lees and Will quickly distributed drinks to the approval of the others.

"Thanks for inviting us in," Kay said as she raised her glass. "I mean, Fyn and I don't even really know you."

T'Lees waved a hand dismissively. "Think nothing of it. Seeing old friends, especially those I thought dead, is even better when there are new ones to be made."

Fynnis took a sip of his drink. "So is this how you get free drinks? If it is, I think I need to become a socialite..."

T'Lees chuckled softly. "Fynnis, was it?"

The turian nodded. "That's right. I helped get Will out of that labor camp."

"While under my command," Kay added before taking a sip of her drink. "Kay Fischer, captain of the ISV  _Trueshot._ "

The asari shifted her eyes to the woman. "Yes, Kay Fisher," she recited. "I was unaware that Shansa had a sister."

"That's because  _I_ was unaware that she was alive," Shansa said with a laugh.

"Yeah, I didn't catch any easy break like Willie and Shan when our colony was attacked," Kay told T'Lees. "The past month or so has kind of been a whirlwind of reunions."

Satisfied that all those who had request one had received a drink, T'Lees sat down in one of the large, comfortable chairs and held her glass of wine to her lips. She took in a deep breath and closed her eye as she savored the anticipation before taking a a small sip. As she finally opened her eye once again she gave Kay a warm smile.

"So I have heard. I am grateful that you all deemed me worthy of inclusion in your tour," she said as she looked to and addressed the entire room of guests.

"It took a little convincing," Will chuckled.

T'Lees furrowed a brow. "Oh?"

Will blinked as he realized the implication. "Shit, that came out wrong." He shook his head. "What I meant was that I had to convince the others that I wasn't planning on dragging you back onto the crew if and when we found you."

Eleena was slowly pacing behind the couch. "Yeah, Will's got a bit of a vendetta right now," she teased. "One that would benefit from more guns."

Will shot her a look. "In my defense it's a vendetta against a ruthless slaver and murderer who cost me nearly  _two years_ of my life."

T'Lees took another sip from her glass. "You seem to have already amassed quite an army for your cause," she pointed out.

"Which is why I'm just here to visit," Will explained. "I felt that letting you know I'm alive and making sure you weren't being hunted by Cerberus was the right thing to do."

"Yeah, he's already got all the guns he needs," Ralliston quipped.

T'Lees raised her glass. "Then allow me to thank you once again for your concern. You all are welcome to stay for as long as you like." She chuckled. "I see tired eyes."

Over the next hour the guests split up and began circling to one another, enjoying not only the time to relax but the chance to be off the ship. T'Lees was able to put Eleena and Kay in touch with a shipwright in the city that had an impressive stockpile of old turian ship components listed on his extranet site. Eleena and Kay soon found themselves leaning over a holopad on the dining room table pointing excitedly at one item after another. Shansa and T'Lees spent quite a bit of time talking and laughing just as they had when they were on the  _Hyperion_ , though this didn't surprise Will in the least. They were both exceptionally good at making friends and conversing with others. Combined, they could have talked for days.

Vayren and T'Lees had a much warmer conversation that Will had expected, given the fact that the Spectre had not been entirely fond or trusting of T'Lees during their time together chasing Narenthus Antarian. The asari seemed as shocked as Will had been to find that Vayren was capable of social interaction outside of Spectre business. Vayren even made her laugh on not one, but two occasions. Ralliston spent the least amount of time speaking to T'Lees, though Will had predicted this given their vastly differing interests and personalities. Fynnis, on the other hand, seemed to charm T'Lees in no time at all. Will had already come to the conclusion that the turian's sarcastic, often anti-social persona was put on to avoid attention. Why, he did not know. Thankfully, the turian was completely personable.

"So nice to see everyone again."

Will had been looking out the windows as T'Lees came to a stop at his side. He glanced over to her and nodded.

"Yeah, glad we were able to find you." He gave her a small grin. "You know, you didn't look too shocked to see me when we first showed up."

T'Lees looked out the window and took a small sip of her drink. "That is because I was not terribly shocked." She paused briefly. "I was never entirely convinced that you were dead, to be honest. No body, no direct evidence of what had happened after we left the ship..."

Will laughed and shook his head. "Gee, I wish you had voiced that opinion. Maybe you all could have found me."

"I did not say that I believed you were alive," she corrected. "The evidence was far more stacked against it than for it. I simply meant that I always had just a hint of lingering hope that you might still be out there."

"Either way, I'm glad you were able to move on," Will admitted. "And do extraordinarily well at that."

T'Lees frowned softly. "I suppose."

"You suppose?" Will repeated. "Fayneer, this place is incredible. You have  _bodyguards._ "

"I am quite aware," she replied. "This is the third time now that I have built my business up. But it still feels so... hollow."

"Hollow?"

T'Lees sighed gently. "If you recall, I was excited to be a part of your crew because I had never felt entirely fulfilled as a businesswoman. That, and a rather bland maidenhood." She turned to look at him. "But after you disappeared I began to realize how little of an impact we had in the grand scheme of things."

Will thought for a moment before responding. He had just been in this discussion a few days prior, but in the position of T'Lees.

"I don't know," Will said, deciding to play devil's advocate. "On one hand, disrupting gangs probably didn't accomplish much in the long run. But on the other, we  _did_  take down a rogue Spectre."

"A weapons dealer whose market-share was scooped up almost immediately after his death," T'Lees pointed out.

"But probably by someone who isn't going to start planetary civil wars," Will countered. "Like I said though, I don't entirely disagree with you. It really felt like the crew as doing something meaningful when we were reactionary. When people came to  _us_  for help. For protection or vengeance. When the RMC started going on the offensive... were we any better than the gangs we were attacking?"

T'Lees turned back to the window. "I do not know."

"I guess you don't even have the perspective on that," Will mentioned. "I mean, the Collective went fully militarized right about the time you joined the crew. Before that it was just us answering calls for help." He crossed his arms. "I miss that."

As the asari opened her mouth to speak again her omnitool chirped. She looked down and activated the tool and cursed under her breath.

"What is it?" She asked while activating her comm.

" _Intruders at the elevator!"_  Answered a voice accented by gunfire.

Will spun to see the rest of the group had overheard the exclamation and quieted themselves. He set his empty glass down on a nearby table and retrieved the rifle from his back.

"Finish those drinks fast," he said to the others. "Sounds like we're in for some fun."


	20. Chapter 20

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 20**

_**Rellistora, Invictus** _

The squad jumped into action and began checking over their armor and weapons. T'Lees ran across the room to where she had hung up Welkinn's rifle just an hour earlier and retrieved the weapon while looking down at her omnitool.

"Who is it?" She demanded. "Do we have a visual?"

There was a brief pause before a muffled voice responded.  _"No idea! Opening my helmet feed!"_

Will hurried across the room and look over the asari's shoulder as she opened the vid feed on her omnitool. Her bodyguard was firing down the hall toward three or four dark, armored figures. After a few seconds one of the assailants raised a fist and unleashed a biotic throw on the guard, tossing him to the side and cutting the vid feed.

"Any ideas?" Will asked.

T'Lees shook her head and grabbed the rifle. "As you know, I have plenty of enemies. But as to which one has found me this time? I could not say." She took a deep breath and glanced down to her dress. "I suppose I will be relying solely on my biotic barrier for this engagement."

"Then what should we do?"

The asari loaded a bolt into the chamber of her harpoon rifle. "I have a safe house." She turned to face Will. "But I will need a few minutes to get us out of here."

Will looked back to the others and waved them forward. "Everyone take up position! T'Lees and Vayren stay in the back, provide rifle cover if needed. Try to slow them down as long as possible."

Ralliston and Kay eagerly took up positions on either side of the double-wide doorway between the living room and the foyer. Shansa and Will spun the couch to face the doorway and knelt behind it with Fynnis and Eleena joining at each end. Vayren and T'Lees both drew their rifles and crouched behind the chairs near the window, furthest from the door. The asari set her rifle on the top of the couch, using it as a stabilizer while Vayren opted to hold his arm out at a ninety degree angle and rest the rifle on his forearm.

"You  _do_  have a plan to get us out of here, right?" Kay called from the doorway.

"Of course," T'Lees replied. "As I said, it will take a minute or two."

All weapons were trained on the front door. After a few seconds of silence it pinged as the locks were overridden from the outside. The door slid open just in time for a puck-shaped object to come flying into the foyer and come to a rest halfway between the door and the living room.

"Grenade!" Ralliston called.

The group braced for an explosion, but was met instead with a rapidly expanding cloud of smoke. Will cursed under his breath. The squad now had no visibility on the foyer, and he knew that there were doors on either side of the entrance that led to other rooms of the apartment. Rooms that they could be flanked from.

"Fynnis! Gun on the right, Shansa on the left," Will ordered.

The two of them complied immediately. Fynnis angled himself toward the door on the right side of the room while Shansa did the same to the door on the left. The others had clearly recognized the risk of being flanked as well, especially Ralliston and Kay. The two of them were completely exposed to fire from the new flanking angles.

"I really hope they're not circling around," Ralliston shouted.

"I'm watching your flank," Shansa assured him.

Will glanced over to Shansa quickly. She was perfectly still with her aim locked on the door. She looked almost as calm and collected as she did when behind the controls of a spaceship. He turned back to the main doorway, but still saw no movement. The smoke was slowly flowing into the living room, but he could still see everyone clearly.

"Where are they," T'Lees said to herself.

"Attention occupants!" A female voice call from the smoke. "Drop your weapons and you will not be harmed!"

Will steadied his aim and saw his chance to stall. "First give me a reason why," he shouted back. "Then I'll consider it.

"We are here to apprehend a dangerous fugitive," the voice answered. "Anyone else who attempts to stop us may be dealt with using deadly force."

"I know that voice," Eleena whispered.

"And on whose authority?" T'Lees called firmly.

A voice answered with equal strength. "The Thessian Republics!"

"Commandos," Will presumed.

"Zaera," Eleena said aloud. "Zaera!"

Silence fell over the two groups. A few moments later the voice from the smoke answered.

"How do you know my name?"

"Zaera, it's me. Eleena."

Will glanced over to her, wide-eyed. "The commandos from Altakiril?"

Eleena nodded. "My friend from commando basic." She looked back to the door and stood up from behind the couch. "Zaera, I'm coming out. Let's talk about this, you and me."

" _Captain_  Zaera!" The voice barked. "And no, there will be no negotiations. We're here for T'Lees."

The smoke was slowly beginning to dissipate. The two doors on the left and right side of the foyer were opened, indicating that the commandos had deployed further into the apartment around them. At the far end of the entrance hall, leaning just barely through the door, were multiple commandos training their weapons on the living room. One of them held her rifle to the floor and looked straight ahead to Eleena as she spoke. Zaera, Will concluded.

"Zaera, don't be stubborn," Eleena pleaded.

"We aren't negotiating, Eleena. We have explicit orders to detain Fayneer T'Lees," the asari responded. "Those damned Spectres pried her from custody two years ago, but they aren't here to pull any bullshit this time."

Will took a quick look back to Vayren. He could clearly see the salarian's torn expression as he held his aim. Will knew that Vayren wasn't going to assert his authority again, meaning his look of concern must have been over the simple fact that they were facing a potential enemy that he did not want to fight. Or one that he simply could not justify fighting. Will looked back to the door once again. In truth, he wasn't sure he could justify this fight either.

"That said," Zaera paused, collecting her words. "I don't want to hurt you, Eleena. I don't know what you're doing here or why, so I will simply thank you for leading us to T'Lees. Now please leave before my team and I are forced to do something I may regret."

T'Lees cursed under her breath. "They traced our correspondence," she theorized. "I thought I had sent those messages through enough proxies."

Eleena let out an exasperated sigh. "Zaera-"

" _Enough,_  Eleena!" The commando demanded. "You have five seconds to lay down your weapons or we will use lethal force!"

"T'Lees!" Will shouted. "Where's that escape plan?"

"Here!" She answered. "On me!"

Will spun to see a pair of skycars leveling off outside the window while opening their entry hatches. He felt a knot in his stomach over the prospect of how they would enter the skycars, but took a deep breath and silently reassured himself.

"Everyone to the windows!" He ordered.

T'Lees stood and spun from her position with a balled, glowing fist. She slammed her arm forward into the window and unleashed the biotic force, causing a million splinters to erupt throughout the glass. A second later, the window gave way and shattered. Wind blowing outside the tower gusted into the room as T'Lees turned back to the group.

"Come! Now!" She shouted.

Will spun back to the door and held his rifle at the ready. "Kay, Ralliston! Go!"

The two of them wasted no time before stowing their weapons and sprinting from the door toward the windows.

"Do not let them get away!" Zaera shouted. "Open fire!"

Gunfire erupted from the commandos' position. T'Lees bolstered her biotic barrier and leapt through the shattered window into one of the skycars. With gunfire pouring on them, Will abandoned the idea of ordering people to escape one or two at a time.

"Everyone! Go, go, go!" He yelled.

Will held fast as Eleena, Shansa, Fynnis and Vayren and fell back from their cover and ran for the window. He squeezed his trigger and fired off a series shots into the doorway, hoping to force back the commandos for even a moment. It seemed to work. The gunfire ceased for a few seconds. The rest of the squad had already run and were now shouting and calling for him to run as well. He swept the room once, and upon seeing everyone now in the skycars, turned and sprinted to make the jump himself. A low rumble filled his ears just before he reached the window followed shortly by a feeling of weightlessness and a tearing pain in his legs. Will flew up and off of his feet and caught a glimpse of the biotic attack that had hit him as he flipped head over heels. His eyes began to blur as he watched what looked like the window frame fly by. He would have called for help had he not been rendered mute by shock.

Another low, warped sound filled his head. With it came the same aching, tearing pain and sense of weightlessness across his entire body. He arched his back and attempted to roll himself to see how far he had left to fall to the ground, only to realize that he was floating helplessly in a field of distorted, blue light. A singularity field, he though to himself. As the field began to dissipate his shoulders were yanked hard, tugging him up and into the crowded back seat of a skycar. Will looked over his shoulder to see Ralliston's hands still looped securely under his arms.

"Thank you," he managed to say, though is lungs stung from the attempt.

The turian gave him a firm nod and looked up. "He's in, let's get the fuck out of here!"

After collecting the occupants of the apartment the two skycars had zipped downward and into the alleys of the industrial sector of Rellistora. It took a minute or two before Will no longer felt the pain inflicted by not one, but two biotic attacks. Crammed in the back seat with him were T'Lees, Ralliston and Fynnis, while Shansa sat in the front flying the aircraft.

Now capable of seating himself upright, Will took a deep breath and looked over to T'Lees. "Nice catch."

The asari looked quite drained. "Thank you," she answered with a small nod. "It did not hurt too badly, did it?"

"No, but it felt pretty fucking weird," he chuckled. "I really hope I don't find myself on the business end of one of those again."

T'Lees snarled. "Those commandos nearly killed you."

"To be fair, I did shoot at them," he reminded her. "While directly aiding in the escape of a fugitive."

Fynnis grunted as he adjusted himself in the cramped seat. "Yeah, ya know, that was a pretty dangerous favor we did. Something that most people would get paid handsomely for."

T'Lees gave the turian a narrowed-eyed glare. "Consider it a favor done for a power and influential friend."

"I'll take it," Fynnis conceded with a satisfied sigh.

"Where exactly are we going?" Will asked as he reached up and rubbed his hand across his sore neck.

"One of my safe houses," T'Lees answered. "Well, first we will stop and enter another set of taxis that will take us there. I do not want those commandos simply tracking these skycars to the source."

"Speaking of which, how did they find us?" Shansa asked from the front seat. "Did we do something wrong and mess this up for you?" She sounded worried at the prospect.

"I do not believe so," T'Lees assured her. "If I were to guess, I would imagine they have been monitoring the ID number that we communicated with. I was careful to send our messages to and from encrypted proxies to hide information regarding the sender and receiver. I do not know how they could have-" Her eye widened. "Of course! The coordinates I sent you for our meeting. They must have moved to intercept and followed us from there."

Will frowned. "So it was our fault. If we hadn't made contact and come to find you..."

T'Lees raised a finger. "Shh, I am only theorizing now. And even if that is the reason, there is no way either of us could have known."

"You're probably the most forgiving weapons warlord I've met," Ralliston jested.

"Weapons warlord?" T'Lees smirked. "Please, Ralliston, I have expanded my operations far beyond weapon production."

* * *

T'Lees guided Shansa on for nearly fifteen minutes before both skycars finally set down in a garage that was clearly past its prime. She led the group to the streets and down a few blocks to a taxi station where the crew loaded into vehicles once again and were flown another fifteen minutes to their final destination. From there, T'Lees led the group from the main thoroughfares into the accessways and alleys of a business district. She stopped at a nondescript doorway on the wall of a superstructure and tapped the security panel. T'Lees swiftly entered a security code and stood to the side, offering the open door to the others.

"Please, come in."

"Second invite today," Kay quipped. "We going for a third later?"

"I sincerely hope not," T'Lees teased.

Will stepped through the door and into what looked like a small storage facility that had been converted to a temporary residence. Ironically, it reminded him of the room the asari commandos had setup as their base on Altakiril while hunting T'Lees two years ago. When the entire group was inside, she shut the door and let out a long sigh.

"You sound like you're not having fun," Kay commented. "Are you...  _not_ having fun?"

"I would have rather not abandon my apartment, no," T'Lees replied. "They will most certainly sweep it for evidence. Thankfully I did not keep much work data there."

Vayren turned to Will and cleared his throat. "What's our plan? If the commandos could track us to her apartment, I would not rule out their ability to track us here." He crossed his arms and set his jaw firmly. "I offered you my assistance in finding your friends, Hume. But if that means killing asari commandos when they have legitimate reason to use deadly force..."

"I wouldn't say their use of deadly force is justified here," Will countered. "But... I agree." He looked over to T'Lees. "The commandos aren't technically in the wrong here."

The asari lowered her eye. "I know. This is why I tried to distance myself from the crew."

"Okay, first thing's first," Kay declared. "We need to make sure the  _Trueshot_  hasn't been impounded."

Will nodded in agreement. "Good thinking. Why don't you, Ralliston and Vayren head to the spaceport and do some recon?"

Fynnis chuckled. "You know, two of those three don't exactly scream 'reconnaissance' to me."

"The commandos might have information on me or Eleena or anyone else who was around the first time we met them on Altakiril. Kay and Ralliston weren't around then, so they shouldn't raise any flags if they're monitoring the spaceport. Also, Kay has security access for the ship." Will glanced to the salarian. "And Vayren? Well, he can sneak his way into or out of anything, so I'm not worried."

Ralliston nodded. "Then we shouldn't waste time. Kay, Vayren, you good to go?"

"Always." Kay gave Ralliston a slap on the back as she walked toward the door and glanced to T'Lees. "Just got here too. Maybe you  _will_  invite me inside for the third time today."

The asari grinned. "We shall see."

Vayren followed Kay and Ralliston as they opened the door and stepped into the shadowy alley. The door slid shut automatically behind them, leaving the others standing silently in the safe house.

"I was hoping I would never have to use this place," T'Lees mentioned offhandedly.

"I can tell by the lack of interior decorating," Shansa teased.

Eleena slowly stepped up to Will's side and watched as T'Lees, Fynnis and Shansa began to talk between one another. Eleena shifted her eyes to Will and smirked softly.

"You didn't really think we would just find T'Lees without incident, did you?" She asked.

Will grinned. "You know, I really wanted to believe it could happen."

"Can't expect good to happen on a planet  _known_  for crime," Eleena said with a smile.

"Not to mention the heavy gravity," Will joked.

Eleena leaned closer to him. "What are we going to do, Will? I mean, you think T'Lees can manage by herself?"

He raised a brow. "I would assume so. Why, do you think we should offer our help?"

"I don't know," she admitted. "She's not exactly in the best of positions now, and even though she said it wasn't, it is in some way our fault."

"So you're saying we should offer to help," Will chuckled.

Eleena placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm saying that I've always known you to do what's right. And right and wrong aren't exactly black and white when T'Lees is in the picture." She frowned. "It sounds like those commandos have been after her for a long, long time."

"I'm worried they're getting desperate," Will agreed.

"Zaera would barely even talk to me," Eleena said quietly. "We used to be as close as friends could be."

Will gave her a reassuring smile. "She was probably just taken by surprise. She couldn't have expected to find us in there."

"No, there was something different about her," Eleena argued. "And they must be furious losing T'Lees when they were that close. Again."

"We are kind of forming a track record with these commandos. And not a good one."

"Ya know, it's probably in our interest to avoid them from here on out," Eleena agreed sarcastically.

Will gave her a glance and rolled his eyes teasingly. "To me that says we need to get off Invictus. The sooner we do that, the sooner we kill Janson."

The asari furrowed her brow. "Still determined to kill him, then?"

"I really don't want to debate this again," Will said with a grunt. "Someone that evil deserves nothing less than death. There can be no penance for the things he's done." He lowered his gaze. "And that's just the stuff I  _know_  about. God knows what else he's done."

"I thought you'd given up on the idea of fighting for the greater good," she said, narrowing her eyes.

"I'm not doing this for the greater good," Will answered. "I'm doing this for me."

Eleena nodded softly and let her hand fall to his. She entwined their fingers and gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"I may not be entirely convinced, but I can understand why you are."

The two looked to one another and locked eyes quietly. Eleena leaned forward and kissed his cheek softly before turning and stepping toward the others on the opposite side of the room. Will looked over to see Fynnis standing a few steps away from the three women as they talked to one another and raised his hand to catch the turian's attention. Upon noticing the signal, Fynnis crossed the room over to Will and nodded as he crossed his arms.

"Will," he acknowledged.

"How you doing, Fynnis?"

The turian turned to face the three women and watched with Will as they talked. "Just fine. Damn fine, actually. Went up against an asari commando squad and lived."

"To be fair, we didn't exactly go toe to toe with them," Will pointed out.

"They shot at us and you fired back. Once or twice. I'm calling that an even fight," Fynnis said decidedly.

Will eyed the turian closely. After a few seconds of silence, Will took a deep breath and lowered his voice.

"So, Mister Cortillian, what's the deal with you and Invictus?" Will asked.

Fynnis flared his mandibles briefly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You seem to know a lot about it, the immigration agent mentioned you'd been here before, and whenever one of these things comes up you get tense and deflect," Will pointed out concisely. "I want to know why."

"That's... not important," Fynnis answered. "And you're not my captain. When all is said and done I answer to Kay, remember?"

Will nodded. "That's true. But you know that Kay would ask if I told her that I wanted to know. On top of that, I just have to ask a favor of Vayren to know anything and everything I need to know about you," he bluffed. "I don't like secrets. And I dislike mistrusting my crewmates even more."

Fynnis closed his eyes and let out a groan. "Alright, fine. But not a word of this to Kay. Or anyone for that matter."

He glanced over to the three others as they continued to talk to one another. Fynnis motioned for Will to step back as he inched further away and leaned against the wall. Will obliged and followed the turian before giving him an expectant look.

"Go on."

"Spirits, relax, I'm getting to it," Fynnis muttered. "What I've told you and Kay about my life before I joined the  _Trueshot_  isn't entirely truthful."

"I'm shocked, really," Will commented dryly.

The turian rolled his eyes. "I didn't grow up on Omega. Hell, I only lived there a year or two."

"You grew up on Invictus," Will guessed.

"Remind me, out of the two of us, who is the one being forcibly coerced into revealing secrets about their life?" Fynnis asked. "Yeah, me." He shook his head. "No, I didn't grow up on Invictus. Never even lived here. Not permanently at least. But work brought me here and a bunch of other places for extended periods of time."

"Work, huh?" Will asked. "So the part about you being a common thief is also wrong."

Fynnis snorted. "Obviously. Come on, I thought you were observant." He nodded. "Yeah, I wasn't an urchin or anything like that. In fact, I did very well for myself." The turian shifted uncomfortably. "You ever heard of a, uh... well, we didn't really have 'official' job titles. My employer referred to me as a 'Corporate Agent.'"

"That might be the most generic job title I've ever heard," Will chuckled.

"That's the point," Fynnis replied. "Me and the other people in my department were... versatile. We had to be able to do a lot and in many ways."

"You're still evading," Will pointed out. "Why? Why is this something you're trying to hide?"

"I'm not trying to hide anything," Fynnis objected firmly. "It's just not relevant to who I am and what I do now."

Will crossed his arms. "Still waiting for some answers."

"You are fucking  _pushy_." The turian lowered his voice. "I did 'off the books' business for the company, alright? Specialized in the tech stuff. Stole data, planted false info about our company, that kind of thing."

"You were a corporate spook?" Will asked, clearly skeptical.

"If you want to call it that, sure," Fynnis said, motioning for Will to lower his voice. "Lots of companies with R&D facilities here on Invictus, so yeah, I've been here a few times."

Will looked up as he thought aloud. "I knew you were too good for someone off the street. Hacking bank terminals can't teach you all the skills you've got."

"Yes, now are you satisfied?"

"How exactly did you get into that kind of thing?" He asked, turning back to face Fynnis.

Before the turian could answer, or avoid the question, Will's omnitool buzzed. He looked down to see an incoming message alert and activated the comm channel.

"This is Will," he said.

" _Hey, it's Kay. Everything looks clear at the ship. Even the ship components Eleena and I ordered were delivered."_

He sighed heavily. "Great. Did Vayren check out their network and confirm nothing looked suspicious?"

" _Yep. Said it looked right as rain."_

Will glanced to Fynnis and nodded. "Then we'll make our way to you. Good work."

He deactivated the omnitool and pointed to the turian. "You're off the hook for now."

"Thanks, so much," Fynnis replied with a thick layer of sarcasm. " _So_  glad we got to talk that out."

Eleena, T'Lees and Shansa had clearly heard Kay on the comm and had ceased their conversation to listen. Upon seeing them, Will straightened himself up and walked across the room with a smile.

"Ready to get going?" He asked. "Ship's clear and I'd rather not linger here with the commandos."

"Yeah, this place is a little hot for me," Shansa said with a grin.

T'Lees cleared her throat. "Shansa, Eleena and I were talking. Would you permit me to join you on your ship for a few days? Just until I can be sure that the commandos have no trail to follow."

Will raised a brow and looked to Eleena with suspicious eyes. He noticed a small smirk on the asari's lips as she returned the look.

He turned his attention back to T'Lees. "You want to come with us?"

"That is correct," T'Lees replied. "I can even pay you all for the trouble, as a passenger should."

"I don't mind, but I can't exactly promise you'd be safe from danger. We are going to be hunting for someone." He chuckled. "Though you're welcome to help fight."

T'Lees nodded once. "Then you have my gun and my biotics. It has been some time since I have gotten to use them without a bunch of bodyguards diving to protect me." She smiled. "This could be a fun trip down memory lane."

"I'd welcome you aboard, but it's not up to me." Will smirked and pointed to his omnitool. "It's up to the captain."


	21. Chapter 21

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 21**

_**Rellistora, Invictus** _

Will and Eleena let out a grunt in near-perfect unison as they dropped the footlocker they had been carrying to the ground. Kay stood before them with a raised brow, eying them silently.

"It looks clear," Will said into his omnitool transmitter.

" _Thank you. I am on my way,"_  T'Lees responded.

Vayren stood in the corner of the room with his arms crossed. "What exactly-"

"Just making sure there weren't any commandos waiting to arrest her," Eleena answered.

"I'm not gonna regret letting her come with us, am I?" Kay asked in a rare moment of self doubt.

Eleena laughed softly. Kay stared the asari down as she took a deep breath and shook her head all while wearing an amused smile.

"That didn't answer my question," Kay said flatly.

The entry door slid apart behind them, allowing T'Lees, Shansa and Fynnis to come walking hurriedly inside. Will turned to greet them with a nod as they came to a stop at the center of the room. T'Lees promptly stepped forward and bowed her head deeply to Kay.

"I must extend my sincerest gratitude, Captain Fischer," T'Lees said as she exited her bow. "To take a stranger aboard-"

"Call me Kay," she interjected. "And you're no stranger. Any friend of Willie and Shan is a friend of mine."

T'Lees smiled warmly. "I will offer you any assistance I can while aboard your ship."

"Speaking of boarding," Ralliston reminded them from across the room. "We should get out of here before the commandos connect the dots."

Will looked to T'Lees. "Anything else you need to take care of here on Invictus?"

She shook her head and stepped up to grasp one end of her footlocker. "I have plenty of contingency plans setup, and my lieutenants will receive the signal indicating that I am alive within a day. They will know how to proceed."

Will grabbed the handle on the opposite end of the footlocker. "Then let's get the hell out of here."

Kay spun and pointed toward the door. "Let's go, folks."

The crew passed through the door and into the hangar where the  _Trueshot_  sat docked. T'Lees looked the ship over with a curious eye as they approached the airlock.

She turned her head and whispered to Eleena. "A turian ship?"

"Well, it was made by them at least," Eleena jested.

Kay glanced back over her shoulder. "She was retired from their expeditionary fleet decades ago," she added.

T'Lees chuckled softly. "And here I thought we would be stuck on another cargo hauler."

"Hey now, you implying something about the  _Hyperion_?" Shansa asked with a teasing grin.

"That it was not the most graceful ship in the sky," T'Lees answered plainly. "But a good ship nonetheless."

The group crammed into the airlock and waited patiently as the decontamination sequence proceeded. As the inner door opened, Shansa and Fynnis turned and headed for the cockpit with Kay following close behind. She looked back to the others and nodded to Will.

"Get her situated while we prep for departure," she called.

T'Lees looked up and down the hall. "Just as utilitarian as the  _Hyperion_ , I see," she mused.

"Come on, let's drop off your gear in the armory," Will said as he led her toward the bow.

"I will join the others on the bridge," Vayren said as he turned for the stairway at the aft end of the hall.

Ralliston and Eleena followed behind Will and T'Lees as they carried the footlocker to the cargo bay. As they set the container down in front of one of the empty lockers Will heard Eleena let out a gasp from somewhere behind them. He spun to see her hurrying across the room to a large delivery crate that had appeared at some point between now and their arrival on Invictus. She tapped a button on the side to open the top of the box and stared inside with wide eyes. Ralliston joined T'Lees to aid in unloading her equipment as Will walked over to Eleena and looked down into the crate.

"What exactly am I looking at?" He asked.

"Recoil and static dampeners," Eleena answered before drawing in a deep, calming breath.

Will nodded for her to continue. "To be used for..?"

She looked over to him with an excited smile. "The cannons! I haven't worked on any kind of serious armament in years. This is going to be a fucking  _blast._ "

"I'll take your word for it," he said. "Let me know when you get started. I'd love to watch."

Eleena gave him a doubtful look. "You sure? It might be boring for you."

"Time spent with you is never boring, Eleena. Even just watching you work."

Her lips curled into a small smile. She reached over and placed a hand on his cheek before leaning toward him in what looked like the beginning of a kiss. However, she stopped short and simply gazed into his eyes as he looked back, waiting for something to happen. She pursed her lips in an attempt to fight off or hide a weak frown.

"It was so hard not having you with us," she said quietly, letting her hand fall back to her side. "Waking up every morning and not having you there beside me-"

Will offered her a tiny, sympathetic smile. "I know. I was half-way across the galaxy feeling the same thing."

She nodded. "I guess you were."

"But I'm here now," he reminded her.

The smile slowly returned to her lips once again. "I'm going to unpack this stuff. Come find me later after you've helped T'Lees get settled?"

Will nodded agreeably. "Alright."

She shooed him off with a wink and turned to reach into the crate and begin pulling out mechanical components. Will turned and walked back across the deck to where T'Lees and Ralliston stood at the armory. The two of them had unloaded all of the combat armor and weaponry from the asari's footlocker and were just now turning to seal it for transport.

"You look like you came ready for a fight," Will commented.

T'Lees shut the lid of the footlocker and nodded. "I will help where I am needed, of course. I understand you are after a man that has caused a significant amount of pain to you and countless others. I will not hesitate to lend you my combat expertise."

"I appreciate that," Will said earnestly. "But like I said back at your apartment, I didn't seek you out to conscript you."

" _Beginning final preparations for departure,"_  Shansa's voice broke over the intercom.  _"Casting off in thirty seconds."_

T'Lees, who had cast her eye to the ceiling as Shansa spoke, looked back down to Will. "Nonsense. You have not conscripted me."

"Sheesh, Hume, we've got another gun. Don't argue with it," Ralliston joked.

Will stepped up to help T'Lees as she lifted the footlocker. "Come on, bunkroom is this way."

"Ah, a bunkroom. Just the other day I was wishing that I slept in a room with a dozen other people again," she remarked sarcastically.

"Sorry, but there aren't  _that_ many," Ralliston laughed as they walked out of the cargo bay. "Kay and Fynnis have their own cabins. Seeing as they're the only real crew members of the  _Trueshot_."

"Interesting name," T'Lees commented. "But unexpected. Turian warships are usually something more theatric.  _Indomitable_ or  _Unrelenting._ "

"You can probably chalk it up to the previous captain," Will presumed while guiding them into the bunkroom. "Drasa, was her name, I think."

"Kay inherited the ship from her?" T'Lees inquired.

Will leaned down and set the footlocker on the floor by one of the only remaining beds. "Yeah, after Drasa was killed." He smirked softly. "Kinda the same way I took over the  _Hyperion,_  now that I think about it."

T'Lees pushed the footlocker against the side of her bed and smiled to Will and Ralliston. "I appreciate your help moving and unloading all of this. Hopefully I will not have to intrude for very long."

"I'm glad to have you, T'Lees. But if you want to thank Kay time and time again I wouldn't stop you," Will advised with a wink.

"I will make note of that." She stood and stretched her arms.

Will took a deep breath as a brief pause settled over them. "T'Lees, I do need to ask you one thing."

The asari tilted her head. "Oh?"

"Do you know anything about Tul'Sorrin?" He asked, a small frown bearing down on his features. "The others have nothing. I have nothing. Did he leave you _anything_ that might point us toward his whereabouts?"

T'Lees looked toward the floor and shook her head sadly. "I am afraid he spoke to me far less than Shansa or Eleena. He said nothing to me about where he was leaving for. And if he said nothing to them..."

"Then we have nowhere to look," Will answered. "I know."

"I am terribly sorry," T'Lees said quietly.

Will shrugged. "Don't worry about it. I guess... he knows your ID numbers. Maybe someday he'll find us." He sighed heavily and lifted his chin, pushing the thoughts from his mind. "You, uh, must be hungry. The kitchen is fully stocked."

"I was thinking of getting something to eat," Ralliston mentioned. "I can show you around the kitchen."

She nodded and smiled approvingly at the hand of hospitality. "I would be lying if I said I was anything less than ravenous."

Ralliston chuckled and waved for her to follow him through the door on the forward wall and into the crew's quarters. Will let out another deep breath and turned to step through the port-side door and into the hallway. He glanced to his right as he did and raised a brow to the sight of Vayren standing at the end of the hall while looking down at his omnitool. Will cleared his throat and began walking toward him.

"Lost?"

The salarian blinked and looked up. "No, no. It's rather difficult to find isolation on this ship."

"It's not a huge ship," Will pointed out. "But, if you wanted to be left alone..."

Vayren sighed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I was not trying to shoo you away. I just have a lot on my mind."

"You and me both, buddy," Will said with a laugh. "You need to talk?"

The salarian pondered the question for a moment. "Perhaps. But I don't want to waste your time."

"Hey, I've got nothing but time," Will assured him while leaning against the wall. "I'm not the captain, but I can still be a friend."

The salarian nodded and began pacing back and forth. "I have been analyzing my life before joining the Spectres and after."

"Analyzing, huh?" Will chuckled. "I'd make a joke about your inner salarian scientist, but..."

"You don't need to be a scientist to be intellectually stimulated," Vayren reminded him.

"Just making a joke," Will replied with a small smirk. "Did you reach any conclusions?"

Vayren nodded once. "One, actually, yes. I didn't realize how much I would miss working with others as I did in the STG."

"Been thinking about that a lot since we saw Seltara on Illium?" He deduced.

"Is it that obvious?" The salarian looked down and deactivated his omnitool. "I was reading through some of our correspondence. She is a good friend. One that I should have kept up with far more than I have."

"A good 'friend,' huh?" Will grinned.

Vayren narrowed his eyes briefly and stared Will down as he searched for meaning in the insinuation. As the salarian finally spotted it his eyes widened once again and he straightened his composure.

"Oh." He shook his head. "Hume, if you are implying some kind of romantic inclination then you are clearly not well versed in salarian culture. Romance, love, sexuality: all unnecessary and, quite frankly, a waste of time."

"But friendship isn't?" Will asked.

The Spectre stared blankly for a moment. "Friendship and comradery can be beneficial, though the latter is far more common. But given my species's near non-existent sexuality, romance is simply not considered among my people. We do not see the need to consider it in our lives. "

"So what exactly makes you miss Seltara? Or your other STG friends?" Will asked. "I mean, if all those social impulses are so rare?"

"I enjoy the product of collaboration," Vayren curtly explained. "Working as a Spectre has shown me how important uniting minds can be. Especially when seeking to answer a seemingly impossible question." The salarian let out a small sigh. "Perhaps Narenthus Antarian would have never started those wars if he had been working with a team."

"I guess I didn't realize how rarely Spectres worked together," Will pondered aloud.

Vayren nodded in acknowledgment. "It is quite rare. We are seen as a valuable resource, after all, and must be used as efficiently as possible."

"So you were thinking about resigning before we even arrived on Illium," Will pointed out. "After seeing Seltara you're feeling even more inclined to do so?"

The salarian's face filled with uncertainty. "In some respects. In other ways it has made me appreciate what I and the other Spectres do. Itwould be easy to follow Seltara's lead and do something such as command a private police force. But I'm not satisfied with easy."

Will watched Vayren for a few silent seconds before speaking. "You know it sounds to me like you're going through what humans call a midlife crisis."

The Spectre raised his chin. "Meaning?"

"You know, coming to terms with your mortality? Realizing that you'd rather be doing something else with your life." Will shrugged. "It's pretty common. Maybe you've been spending too much time with humans."

"That is a rather elementary answer. Psychology is not simply a process of osmosis," the salarian objected. "Well, at least not for you or me. The asari, however..."

Will laughed and shook his head. "All I'm saying is that I think it's perfectly normal to reevaluate your life. And no one is going to stop you if you decide to make a change." He shrugged. "Or not. It's up to you, Vayren."

He nodded. "I'm quite aware. Thank you for speaking to me, Cap-" Vayren stopped himself and smirked. "William Hume."

"Anytime," Will answered. "Now, I promised a certain asari I would follow-up with her."

As he turned to head back to the cargo bay the ship intercom crackled and Kay's voice came booming through.  _"All hands to the operations deck! We need to discuss our next course of action and destination."_

Will let out a long sigh and turned back toward the stairs at the end of the hallway. "I knew I was forgetting something."

* * *

One by one the crew ascended the stairways and entered the operations center. Will took up a position beside Kay as she stood by the meeting table at the center of the room. Shansa slowly bounced on her toes as she spoke to Fynnis about the a vid that Will had never heard of. Perhaps it had come about while he was enslaved. Eleena was the last person to arrive. She had changed out of her hardsuit and into the black jumpsuit that appeared whenever the asari was about to dive into a project. Satisfied with everyone's presence, Kay leaned forward and placed her hands firmly on the table.

"Evening, everyone," she began. "As I'm sure you all remember, Will's the one running this clusterfuck, but I did want to say something first." Kay looked around the table and grinned. "It's been a long time since I've seen this many people on board the  _Trueshot._ I'm not gonna hope for a fight, but if we find one, I'm looking forward to watching you all kick some asses."

"Not great with kicking," Ralliston replied. "Hope you're okay with shooting."

Kay shot him a wink and stepped back away from the table. "You bet, Kitt." She glanced over to Will and nodded him forward. "Take it away, Willie."

Will rolled his eyes at the jab and took her place at the focal point of the crew's attention. He slowly looked around the circle and smiled to himself, appreciating the fact that all these people were so ready and willing to help him. It was a humbling feeling he'd missed dearly.

"So. We need to find someone," Will stated. "A specific someone by the name of Janson. Part of the Blue Suns leadership, at least on Omega. Ideas?"

"Uhh, Omega kind of seems like the obvious place to start," Fynnis pointed out.

Will nodded in agreement. "I thought so as well. But Omega is a big place."

"We should analyze any data we can get our hands on," T'Lees suggested. "Be that data public or private data that one might be willing to part with in exchange for a few credits."

"Credits? Just offer them the alternative of a beating or two," Kay suggested. "It's worked wonders for me in the past."

"I have a feeling Will would prefer  _not_  harming perfectly innocent people," Shansa shot to her sister.

Kay narrowed her eyes challengingly. "No one on Omega is perfectly innocent."

"That doesn't mean they deserve threats of physical violence," Shansa argued, raising her voice.

Will cleared his throat. "We were having a discussion here, remember?"

Kay glanced over to him and grunted. "Yeah. Sorry."

"We'll do what needs to be done," Will said decisively. "Hopefully we find what we need without putting the screws to anyone."

Shansa gave Will a troubled look and opened her mouth slightly, but said nothing. Her lips gently closed as she crossed her arms and looked to the side.

"There are multiple Blue Sun strongholds and outposts on Omega," Vayren reminded them all. "We could infiltrate one and look for data on their network."

"I could probably lend a hand with that," Ralliston added. "I remember a bit about their security protocols from when I was with them."

Will looked to Fynnis. "We should also check for his comings and goings. You think you can get into the port authority's records?"

The turian shrugged casually. "Shouldn't be too hard."

"Good." Will scratched his chin as he thought aloud. "I bet speaking to a few Blue Suns could help. Find out what they know about him and what he's been up to."

Eleena raised a brow. "Are you sure you're not just looking for a fight, Will?"

Will frowned. "Of course not. The Blue Suns are scum, but I'm not going to risk my life just to make sure they know it."

"But if they  _do_  find out what you're up to, they're not going to respond politely," she argued sternly. "Are you sure you'll be able to handle it?"

Will furrowed his brow in confusion. "Yeah, El, I'm sure. I'll have some of you with me, after all."

Eleena considered him for a moment and nodded. "I suppose you're right."

They shared a brief look. Will and Eleena had very rarely disagreed, especially on tactical or strategical decisions.

"I like the idea," Vayren asserted, breaking the silence. "Some good old-fashioned espionage could certainly help."

"So we'll set course for Omega and split to our objectives," Will decided. "We can determine who is doing what precisely when we arrive. Any objections?"

Surprisingly, he was met with none. Will stepped back from the table and looked to his side where Kay stood.

"Well, Captain, we've got our destination."

Kay grinned and turned to Shansa. "Helmswoman?"

Shansa smirked softly and gave her sister a mock-salute. "On it, captain."

Will looked back to the others and nodded once. "Thanks for your time, everyone. Now we should probably get some rest."

He stood back and watched as the crew filed out of the room and to either the lower deck or, in Kay's case, her quarters. Fynnis and Shansa ended up being the only ones that did not leave the operations center, but instead made their way to the cockpit. After the others had disappeared down the flight of stairs, Will turned and approached the two seats in the cockpit. He placed one hand on the back of each and looked down at the control console. Shansa glanced over her shoulder.

"We're about to jump," she informed him.

"Go for it. I'm just here to watch," Will replied.

Fynnis tapped a few commands into one of his consoles. "Coordinates locked."

Shansa nodded. "Engaging core."

The view outside the forward viewports began to distort as the mass effect field engaged. Blue and purple wisps of energy danced around the ship's hull.

"You probably don't need me here for all of this, you know," Fynnis mentioned.

Will looked between the two of them. He was intrigued. He was been under the impression that the turian had been insisting on his presence during major flight maneuvers. Will felt the corner of his lips curl into a smile as he watched Shansa's face flush ever-so-slightly before she regained complete composure.

"I just wanted to make sure everything looked good to you," Shansa replied. "I don't know the optimal levels for things like, uh, fuel pressure."

Fynnis glanced to his right. "Then take a look at the meter now and consider that number 'normal.'"

The turian turned and looked back over to Shansa. "Want me to check anything else?"

"Ahem," Shansa took a small breath. "No, no, that's all! Thanks!"

Fynnis sighed and pulled himself to his feet. "Great. Because I need to get some damned sleep."

Will stepped to the side to let the turian pass by, which Fynnis thanked him for by means of a nod and slap on the shoulder. As his footsteps began to fade behind them, Will slid into the copilot's seat and draped his arm casually over the back. He faced Shansa and grinned. She attempted to appear oblivious for a few seconds before biting her lip anxiously and glancing to her side.

"What? What is it?" She demanded.

"Oh, nothing," Will said cheekily. "Just enjoying Fynnis's company?"

"He knows a lot about the ship," Shansa quickly blurted out. "I don't want to talk about it, thank you."

He laughed and raised his hands. "Whatever you say."

She gave him a small smirk. "You think you're so funny. Teasing me."

"I think nothing of the sort," Will rebutted. "At least not the stuff about being funny. The teasing, on the other hand, I can't really deny..."

Shansa shook her head and turned back to the console and began tapping away at a half a dozen different screens. Will could see the determined concentration in her eyes and decided not to pester her further. Instead, he watched in silence as she worked, carefully calculating and memorizing data as she swiped through various real-time reports. If there was one thing Will admired about Shansa it was her raw dedication to everything she committed to. After a few minutes of quiet observation, Will slowly stood and stepped out of the cockpit. He paused before taking another step past the seats and turned around with his mouth agape, preparing his words.

"Hey, Shansa."

She continued to stare down the numbers in front of her. "Hmm?"

"You were with Eleena the whole time I was gone, right?" He sighed and leaned on the copilot's chair. "Is it just me or is she acting way more, I don't know, cautious? Patient, even?"

Shansa snorted as though the answer was obvious. "Uhh, yeah. You should have seen how hard it was for me to convince her to start hunting bounties. And getting her on board with my plan to attack Club Euphoria took a week all in itself!" She shrugged. "But, you know, I guess those kinds of changes are to be expected when you're-"

She stopped herself after looking back to see the look of complete and utter confusion on Will's face. Shansa's eyes widened and she snapped her jaw shut.

"Go on," Will said slowly after a good ten seconds of silence.

Shansa blinked. "She hasn't told you about the..."

He cocked an eyebrow. "About the what?"

"Oh. Oh, you should, um," she shook her head. "You should probably talk to her. Maybe ask her there have been any big changes in her life recently?"

Will blinked in disbelief. "Okay, I suppose I'll do that," he managed to say, trying rationalize any part of the abnormal exchange.

Shansa cleared her throat. "Anyway, I should get back to work," she said. "Sorry, can't talk!"

He stood still for a few long seconds before turning and walking toward the the stairs, still completely bewildered by the conversation that had just taken place. Will slowly descended the port-side stairwell and looked ahead to the hallway in front of him. At the end and just to the right was the door to the cargo bay and, presumably, Eleena. Will drew in a deep breath and lifted his chin as he continued down the hall and attempted to put on normal face as he stepped through the door and into the cargo bay. As he had hoped, Eleena stood by the starboard gun battery carefully reading through data on a holopad. He glanced around the room and saw no one else. Will stepped through the door as Eleena looked up from her work and smiled warmly.

"I was hoping you would wander back over here," she said.

Will walked across the room and came to a stop beside her. "Nowhere else I'd rather be."

Eleena grinned and wagged her finger. "Trying to flatter me again?"

"Trying? It works every time," he teased.

She laughed softly and deactivated the holopad. "I've got a lot of documentation to look through on these cannons."

"Good. I'd rather you not start yanking parts out without any idea of how to put to back together."

The two shared an amorous glance. Will slowly turned his eyes away and took a deep breath before opening his mouth to speak.

"Eleena," Will sighed heavily. "I don't even know how to ask this question."

The asari tilted her head curiously.

"Shansa said I should ask you about big changes in your life?" He raised a brow. "I think she nearly told me something she didn't mean to."

Eleena looked to him silently for a few moments before averting her eyes and setting down her holopad. "Ah. Yeah."

She picked up a rag and wiped some of the grime off of her hands as she bit her lip in contemplation. Will watched, patiently but anxiously.

"I've been trying to figure out when to have this conversation. And, you know, how to start it," she admitted. "Guess I don't have to worry about that now!" She laughed nervously and cleared her throat. "Will, how familiar are you with asari physiology?"

Will shrugged. "Learned a bit in school. And I picked up some stuff from you whenever we melded. Bits and pieces, I guess. I don't think it was really at the top of your mind whenever we were, you know..."

She smirked and nodded. "No, probably not." Eleena leaned back against the wall and crossed her arms behind her back. "Does the concept of a 'life stage' sound familiar to you?"

"Yeah, I think so," Will answered. "Maidens, matrons and matriarchs." He nodded to himself as he alien biology class he had taken on Arvuna began coming back to him. "Wait a minute."

He paused and looked up to her. "Are you about to tell me that-"

His words stopped as she gave him an apprehensive nod of affirmation.

"But how? I thought the first change didn't happen until you turned three hundred and fifty years old or something like that." Will sighed and collected his thoughts. "Aren't you only two hundred and fifty or so?"

She smirked. "Two hundred and fifty-six," she corrected. "And yeah, that's right. A little early, but not unheard of. Sometimes it just happens." Eleena looked directly to Will's concerned eyes. "Things like frequent bonding with a strong emotional partner, stress from a traumatic event and acting as a guardian-figure can all trigger a transition in stage. Especially from maiden to matronhood."

Will nodded, slowing understanding. "And it happened at some point while I was gone."

"Excellent deduction," Eleena jabbed. "Yes. A little over a year ago. Like I said, I've been trying to figure out how to tell you, or if I even needed to."

"You were thinking of not telling me?"

She shook her head. "Not to withhold anything from you. I just thought you might figure it out on your own."

Will tapped his chin with his finger. "Hmm. So that's what Shansa was talking about concerning 'expected changes in your behavior.'"

Eleena chuckled. "I was actually more expecting you to notice that these have rounded out another half-cup or so," she said, pointing to her bust.

He laughed and raised his arms in protest. "Oh, come on, that jumpsuit doesn't exactly make it easy to notice."

She glanced down at the rather unflattering suit and shrugged. "Fair enough." Eleena shifted her eyes back up and raised a brow. "Were you and Shansa really talking about my behavior being different? Is it really that noticeable?" She sounded worried. Perhaps even frightened.

Will took a step toward her and placed a hand on her arm. "No! Of course not. It's just that Shansa and I know you well enough to notice something small."

Eleena crossed her arms over her chest and glanced to the side with a sigh. "You grow up telling yourself that you're never gonna let matronhood hit you like it does all the other women," she said almost to herself. "That you're gonna be a maiden at heart until the day you celebrate your millennial."

"My god, El, could you be more overly dramatic?" Will laughed and turned to lean against the wall beside her. "You're still Eleena."

"You did notice though," she pointed out with a jokingly-disappointed frown.

"You're still you," he repeated. "You just seem a little more patient than you were a few years ago."

Eleena looked toward the ground and scuffed her boot along the deck. "Fuck. If you say so."

Will reached to grasp one of her hands and laced their fingers. "If you ever want to talk about it, I'm here."

"I appreciate the offer," she said with a chuckle. "But I think T'Lees might be able to shed a bit more light on the subject."

"Fair enough," he admitted. "So is there traditionally some kind of party or celebration when this happens?"

Eleena rolled her eyes. "Goddess, I'm not even going to answer that question."

Will grinned to himself. "I know what I'm looking up on the extranet later."

She leaned her head to the side and rested it on his shoulder. "If you act upon any information you come across regarding asari traditions, I may have to kick your ass. I mean  _literally_  kick it. Hard."

"Noted."

He squeezed her hand gently, and she squeezed his back.


	22. Chapter 22

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 22**

_**ISV Trueshot, en route to Omega, Sahrabarik System** _

The journey to Omega had been safe and slow as Shansa and Eleena had requested. The two of them spent the majority of the trip sharing and discussing data readings from the still relatively unfamiliar ship. To Will, Eleena seemed far more comfortable with the  _Trueshot_  than she had ever been on the  _Hyperion,_ something he chalked up to the fact that she had been raised by a turian father in a shipyard that most likely saw plenty of turian ships long before humans had even made first contact. She had quickly recalled and latched onto some of the turian engineering "quirks," as Fynnis referred to them. Shansa, on the other hand, was in a brand new world. A world that she flourished in. She had never been at the controls of a nimble warship designed for tight maneuvering and flashy piloting. Unfortunately, her desire to put the  _Trueshot_  through its paces was on hold until she and Eleena were comfortable enough with the finer details of the ship's systems.

"Breakfast, huh?" A turian voice asked. "I could go for some of that."

Will looked up from his empty plate to see Ralliston walking through one of the doors into the crew's quarters. The turian walked to the kitchenette and grabbed a box of Fynnis's nutrient bars that he had grown quite fond of. Will had only woken up about half an hour earlier and was still struggling to keep his eyes open, even after a plate of eggs. He let out a groan and picked up his glass of seela fruit juice, downing the last few sips in one big gulp.

"Kitchen's all yours," Will finally responded. "Wish I could wake the hell up, though. Damn."

"Thought you were a morning person," Ralliston commented as he unwrapped one of the bars and took a bite.

"Me? Not really," he answered. "No more so than anyone else. But this morning is killing me for some reason."

The turian shrugged. "Eh, we all have those days."

"I guess so," Will slowly replied. "You ready to help Vayren find what we need in the Blue Sun's network?"

"More than ready," Ralliston said eagerly. "I want those bastards taken care of just as much as you do. Janson in particular."

Will raised a brow. "That so?"

The turian leaned back against the kitchen counter and took another bite of his breakfast while staring toward the wall. "Yeah. It's never a bad time to fuck with the Blue Suns."

"I'm not in this to 'fuck with' them," Will reminded him. "We're doing this because Janson has to pay for the shit he has done to the galaxy."

Ralliston snorted and turned his head to look at Will. "The shit he's done to the galaxy, or the shit he's done to you?"

"I'm part of the galaxy," Will replied flatly.

"Plenty of people do shitty stuff all the time."

"Is there a point you're going for here?" Will asked.

The turian finished chewing a bite of his nutrient bar and sighed. "You don't have to pretend like this is some quest to do some great deed. If you want to kill this motherfucker for what he did to you then I'm sure as hell not going to object or judge you."

"Funny you should say that," Will replied coldly. "Seeing as you sold me and the crew out and tried to get us killed. Still agree with the eye for an eye mentality?"

Ralliston looked to the side and shook his head. "I know I'm not the best person," he said flatly. "I know I fucked up with what I did to you and the rest of the crew. And frankly, if you wanted to try to return the favor, I wouldn't exactly hold it against you. I'd fight back, of course. Hell, I'd probably win. But the difference between me and Janson is that I can actually admit that what I did was wrong, and that I'm trying to make it right." The turian narrowed his eyes. "You won't hear him ask for forgiveness until he's got a gun to his temple and he's begging for his life."

"It's gonna be a few years too late at that point," Will muttered as he stood and picked up his plate and glass.

"You're damn right," Ralliston added. "And Hume."

Will placed his dishes on the counter and turned to face Ralliston. He raised a brow and waited as the turian took a small breath.

"Whatever you need. Whatever the crew needs. I'm ready to get it done."

Will crossed his arms and smirked. "Sometimes I wonder if the blood loss from that sniper wound killed a few too many of your brain cells. I don't know if I've ever seen someone more thirsty for atonement."

"This isn't any kind of trauma induced change of heart," Ralliston argued firmly. "You know that. It's what you and Eleena did for me. What you risked to save me."

It was getting harder and harder for Will to despise Ralliston. He looked back to the counter and slid his dishes into the washer before giving the turian a brief nod and turning for the door.

"We're probably close to Omega. I expect you and Vayren to get along down there," Will commented as he stopped at the door.

"You've got my word," Ralliston replied.

"Not sure that's enough. But at least that's worth a tiny bit more than it used to."

* * *

Kay let out an irritated grumble as she appeared at the top of thestairwell and crossed the room toward the rest of the crew. Will had assembled the others and together they had been waiting by the meeting table while discussing their course of action for Omega.

"God, I hate the fucking dock managers here," Kay complained to no one in particular.

She turned her attention to Will as she came to a stop beside the table. "Did we make any progress?"

Will gave her a nod. "I believe we did." He glanced toward the salarian standing across from him. "Vayren?"

The Spectre nodded and crossed his arms behind his back. "Ralliston and I will be infiltrating one of the nearby Blue Suns outposts to retrieve as much information from and about their network as we can."

"Infiltrating, huh?" Shansa asked, seemingly unconvinced.

"He's got a stealth generator and I can blend in," Ralliston argued. "You know, after he spoofs an ID for me."

She shrugged in consideration. "Good points."

Will glanced to the other side of the table where Fynnis stood. The tuian let out a sigh and uncrossed his arms, apparently unhappy that he was no longer able to stand quietly and undisturbed.

"Uh, yeah," the turian began slowly. "I'm going to try to get into the port's database."

Kay gave her turian shipmate an amused look with just a hint of doubt. "You sure you can do it? Hacking bank terminals isn't the same as hacking an entire network's database. Especially one as big as the Omega port authority."

Fynnis and Will shared a quick, knowing look. The latter smirked to himself as the former turned back to Kay and gave her a confident laugh.

"I wouldn't have signed up for it if I didn't think I could do it," he replied.

Kay grinned. "You're lucky that you're one of the few people I trust."

"Won't even begin to argue with  _that_ ," Fynnis mused.

"Anyone coming to help you?" Kay asked.

"I'll be with him," Eleena answered. "Mainly so he has a set of eyes to watch for interruptions while he's working."

"So that leaves us," Will continued with a look to Kay, Shansa and T'Lees. "Shansa's going to be taking the Kodiak to a garage so they can fix up the remaining structural damage that Eleena doesn't have the hardware to tackle. And, of course, to get it repainted to something less... volatile."

Kay chuckled sarcastically. "As much as I like the Eclipse colors, it does sicken me to think that someone might actually mistake us for some of those pieces of shit."

"Glad you agree," Shansa chimed in. "I was thinking black for the color. Nice and bland. Easy to forget."

"That's fine with me," Kay agreed. "But who exactly is going to be paying for this? Just these docking fees alone are costing me out the ass."

"I'd offer to help, but my accounts were drained after I died," Will commented with a smirk toward Shansa.

The pilot flushed and raised her brows. "W-we can pay for it! Eleena and me." She looked toward the asari and nodded. "Right?"

"I was just giving you a hard time," Will quickly clarified.

"Regardless, we can and should help," Eleena said firmly. "Shansa and I just had a fine pay day from the bounty we retrieved on Illium," she reminded them. "And you all did help us secure that."

"I'm going to accept that gracious offer before anyone else can try to deny it," Kay declared.

Will nearly opened his mouth to argue, but stopped himself and shook his head. "Right. So Shansa is handling the Kodiak, which means Kay, T'Lees and myself will be attempting to locate and interrogate some Blue Suns."

Kay glanced toward T'Lees with an excited grin. "You're helping?"

The asari smiled warmly. "Of course. I am here to assist however I am able. It is only fair, given the favor I owe you all for allowing me to travel on your ship."

"She insisted," Will added.

"I am looking forward to working with you, Captain Fischer," T'Lees said smoothly.

"You and me both," Kay replied. "So, are we ready to move?"

Will nodded. "I'd say so. Unless anyone has any objections?"

Fynnis cleared his throat. "Yeah, I've got one. What's the plan if we don't find anything useful?"

Will crossed his arms defensively. "We can always find more options to explore. I'm persistent."

The turian leaned back. "Alright, if you're confident then I'm not gonna argue."

"Good. Let's get geared up," Will ordered.

The crew filed down the stairwells to the lower deck where they reconvened by the armory and began collecting their gear. Some had been already suited themselves in their armor and spent the time checking over the weapons while the rest donned their hardsuits. Will had already equipped his borrowed armor and pistol, and watched from the corner of the room as the others prepared themselves. He, T'Lees and Kay would be leaving their primary weapons behind during the outing as they were hoping to appear as nonthreatening as possible to any loose-lipped Blue Suns. One by one the crew finished and either found others to help or began talking between themselves. As Eleena finished her preperations she crossed the room and spun on her heels to stand beside Will with her arms crossed.

"I do need to make a few stops while we're here," she informed him.

"I'm not going to stop you," Will replied with an amused smile.

Eleena grinned to herself. "I wouldn't let you."

He put his arm around her waist and pulled her to his side. "What kind of errands? Need help?"

"Nothing big," she answered. "Though I was thinking of looking for some scotch, if you'd care to join me in the search."

"Scotch, huh?"

Eleena gave him a quick wink. "I got a craving."

Will smiled and nodded. "I'm sure we can carve out some time."

"Anything I should know about Fynnis?" She asked quietly.

"He's actually a surprisingly good guy," Will answered earnestly. "Though he doeslike to crack wise at inopportune moments."

"I think I've had enough experience to deal with a bit of sarcasm."

He pulled his arm back and stretched. "Then you'll be fine. He's good at what he does. Better than he lets on."

"I'll keep that in mind," she said. "And stay careful with Kay and T'Lees, okay?"

"You kidding? We'll be fine," he assured her. "As long as Kay can watch her mouth."

Eleena gave him a pat on the shoulder. "If I can watch mine, she'd better be able to watch hers."

"She's not the best at controlling her temper," Will commented with a nervous laugh.

"Neither am I," the asari reminded him.

"You've gotten better," he teased.

Ralliston was the last of the group to finish gearing up. As he stepped away from his locker Will called their attention and led the crew to the airlock while Shansa prepared the Kodiak for departure. As they passed onto the gangway and walked toward the station the group began to merge into their three groups.

"Really? That's the best name you could make up for me?" Ralliston asked.

The turian was reading the spoofed ID that Vayren had put together for him. The Spectre continued ahead at the front of the group just beside Will and nodded in his head in affirmation.

"Inconspicuous and bland. The perfect name for infiltration," Vayren replied.

"What do you need me to do?" Eleena asked somewhere behind Will to his right.

Fynnis replied a few seconds later. "Not really gonna know the answer to that until we get there. But if I had to guess... I dunno, maybe seduce someone?"

"That's not exactly my thing," the asari replied flatly. "But I'm ready to pull out some biotics if needed."

"Yeah, I figured, just wanted to see how committed you are to the mission," Fynnis said with a snicker.

"I hope that answer was good enough then," she mused.

Fynnis let out a yawn. "Shit, I can already tell you're  _way_ more invested than me."

The group passed through a second airlock and into a loading bay before finally exiting to the street. Will turned to face the crew as they circled up with him and looked to each of them with a determined smile.

"If anyone runs into trouble or even thinks they may need help, I want you to report immediately. Understood?"

After receiving a quick acknowledgment from everyone he took in a deep breath and nodded.

"Good luck."

Vayren and Ralliston turned and swiftly made their way down the street toward a taxi terminal that would take them to the nearby Blue Suns outpost. Fynnis and Eleena moved in the opposite direction toward the closest port authority office. The asari glanced over her shoulder briefly and gave Will a quick wink before rounding a corner and disappearing with Fynnis close behind.

"So, if I were a bunch of Blue Suns, where would I be?" Kay pondered aloud.

"A bar, perhaps?" T'Lees suggested.

Kay tapped her chin with her finger. "I was actually thinking something more along the lines of a club,'" she said. "Ya know, trying to use the uniform to get the girls interested?"

"Does that actually work?" Will asked, highly suspicious.

"I am sure it does for some women," T'Lees answered. "But then, anything will work on  _someone_ ," she teased.

Kay grinned at the comment before glancing toward Will. "I think I know of a place nearby. And we're pretty close to that outpost that Vayren and Ral are hitting up."

"You think we should head there?" Will inquired.

"It's a good place to start," Kay replied. "Come on, it's a few blocks away. Thank god we docked in one of the seedy districts."

Together the three of them strode down the street toward an intersection with one of the larger thoroughfares in the district. Will glanced quickly to his left and right where his two partners for this mission walked at his side.

"You two are both abnormally quiet," he observed.

"I apologize," T'Lees said with a nervous laugh. "If you can believe it I am actually nervous! It has been nearly a year since I have engaged in anything like this."

"You'renervous? Come on, you've got a scary fucking harpoon rifle and intimidating eyepatch. What are they gonna have? Some matching blue armor?" Kay snorted and rolled her eyes jokingly. "I think we have them beat."

The asari let out a playful laugh. "I feel I should remind you that the harpoon rifle is not with us, unfortunately. Though you look as though you can handle a fist fight."

"Speaking of which," Will interjected. "We should get as much as we can by just chatting. But, just in case we need to escalate our tactics, do you think you can restrain or knock someone out, Kay?"

"Shouldn't be a problem," Kay replied. "I'd be more worried about that someone's friends though. Blue Suns like to travel in packs, ya know."

"I'm well aware," Will grunted.

Kay pointed the group to the left and down another street. "Okay, it's another two blocks up on the right."

"For someone who hates Omega, I'm surprised you knew about this club," Will said to Kay with a sly grin.

"Hey, we've docked in this district before," Kay quickly rebutted. "You always need to know the nearest place to dance."

"Fairly certain you don't, actually," Will smirked. "Clubs are the worst. Loud, hot, a bunch of people I want nothing to do with. I can't imagine wanting to-"

"Oh, come now William," T'Lees interrupted. "It is alright to have a little fun. Through dancing or other means." She glanced over to Kay and smiled. "I do not usually partake, but it is nice to have a drink and watch others enjoy themselves on the dance floor."

"Thank you, T'Lees!" Kay said, nodding to Will. "Glad somebody's on my side."

"Call me Fayneer," the asari said with a small chuckle.

Kay caught sight of a sign just ahead of them and turned to motion toward it. "Here it is. Try to act casual, yeah?" She glanced to Will and narrowed her eyes. "Or in your case, try to not complain the entire time."

"Thanks for the reminder," Will muttered as the three of them stepped up to the bouncer.

The krogan at the door eyed them up and down and snarled. "Hold it. Any guns?"

"Just a sidearm," Will said truthfully. "Came off a guard shift and need to unwind."

"We don't allow high powered weapons in here," the bouncer warned. "If any of you are hiding something-"

Kay rolled her eyes. "We're not." She lowered her brow and gave the krogan an unamused look. "Now, you gonna let me in so I can buy a drink?"

"Rggh." The bouncer grunted and stood to the side.

The krogan looked them over carefully as they entered and appeared satisfied with their lack of heavy weaponry. The trio walked side-by-side down a dimly lit entry hall toward the occluded drones of loud dance music. A few people stood in the hall, some of them chatting amongst themselves and at least one doubled over while trying not to vomit. Will did his best to act nonchalant and kept his eyes straight ahead as the inner doors slid open to the club. His ears were pounded by the driving bass and piercing high-end of the electronic music that now blared unimpeded. He took a quick look around the room to evaluate their hunting ground. The club was a single floor and rectangular in shape, with about a third being devoted to the bar, lounge and dance floor equally. The lighting was slowly phasing from dark blue to purple and back again, but was barely bright enough to illuminate the room.

Kay leaned close to Will and shouted into his ear. "We should split up."

He gave her a nod of agreement and glanced toward T'Lees. The asari raised a brow, to which Will made a series of pointing motions indicating their separation. She nodded slowly in understanding and activated her omnitool to type out a quick message as she turned and walked toward the lounge.

A few seconds later a message appeared in Will's inbox.

_I will provide updates via my omnitool messenger._

Will nodded and quickly typed out his response.

_Good idea. Updates every ten minutes unless something comes up._

He gave Kay one last encouraging smile and turned to approach the bar as she headed off toward the dance floor. Will's eyes darted around through patches of darkness, searching desperately for a Blue Suns insignia. He was put at ease after seeing at least half of the patrons in the bar wearing combat hardsuits and strolled confidently up to the bar where a batarian was busy serving drinks. The bartender slid two glasses to a turian standing beside Will before glancing to him and leaning forward.

"What'll ya have?" The batarian shouted over the music.

"Uh, beer. Something cheap," he yelled in return.

The bartender spun around without another word and grabbed a bottled beer from one of the cooling units on the wall behind him. He turned back and held the beer out with one hand while extending his omnitool with the other. Will activated his omnitool and accepted the transaction before taking the drink and nodding in thanks. He took a sip and stepped away from the bar, once again looking through the mass of patrons for what he needed. No luck. Will approached one of the empty tables and began the process of drinking his beer as slowly as possible.

The people around him seemed to be drawn from intriguingly diverse walks of life. Will counted a number of patrons that looked no different than him: men or women dressed in battle-worn armor with tired eyes and a drink in hand. Unfortunately, whether they were mercenaries, bodyguards, or in some bizarre twist of fate, vigilantes was entirely irrelevant unless they donned the emblem he was searching for. After a few minutes with no results he activated his omnitool and typed out a quick message.

_No luck so far._

A few seconds later he received a response from T'Lees.

_The same goes for me._

Will took a sip of his drink and waited patiently for Kay's response. After nearly a minute it finally arrived.

_Might have something. I'll keep you updated._

He raised a brow and made another quick visual sweep around the bar before taking another swig of his beer. He opened up a new message window to begin correspondence with another individual.

_You two find anything yet?_

Thirty seconds later he received a response from Eleena.

_We just got to a node that Fynnis can work with. No major issues so far. Guessing you all haven't made much progress?_

Will smirked as he typed out a reply.

_How'd you know?_

_You wouldn't be chatting with me if you were._  She answered.

He grinned and nodded in admission as he opened a new message from Kay.

_Got two Omega security officers here. Gonna see if they have any intel on Blue Suns that they'd be willing to spill._

"Better than nothing," Will muttered to himself.

Over the next twenty minutes Will sat by himself, slowly sipping his drink while looking at each new face that walked into the bar area. He reported the disappointing results to Kay and T'Lees twice, and was met with the same issue from the asari both times. Kay, however, continued to chat up the turian and human she had met on the dance floor. For now, Will was hoping that they would provide  _something_  that they could take away from this club. He looked up as a familiar asari came to sit across from him at the table. T'Lees had obtained her own drink at some point and was sipping it coolly as she looked across to Will.

"Give up on the lounge already?" He asked, his voice raised enough to reach her.

She nodded once. "It was mostly empty. And the crowd did not seem like Terminus gang members."

"Looks can be deceiving," Will reminded her.

"Either way, no one there was in Blue Suns uniform. I saw no point in sitting around doing nothing," T'Lees replied. "Also... I wanted a drink."

The two of them laughed and took another sip of their respective drinks.

"Think we need to try another club?" Will asked.

The asari's eye slowly panned around the room as she answered. "That would be my choice of action."

Their omnitools chimed with a message alert.

_Good news and bad news. Bad news: the officers are leaving. Apparently there's something big going down in the Tilno District. Good news: sounds like it's Blue Suns related._

Will frowned. "Tilno District," he said aloud. "That's one of the safest places on the station. Hardly ever any gang activity there."

T'Lees quickly downed the last of her cocktail. "Then we should move quickly as to not miss the action."

Will nodded and typed out a message in response as he and the asari stood and began walking toward the door.

_We're leaving._

He looked up and quickened his pace, darting through patrons on his way to the exit. As he reached the door he and T'Lees stood to the side and waited until Kay came out of the dance floor at a brisk pace. She looked as though she had worked up a sweat dancing, though that didn't seem a difficult feat. The club was just a tad too hot for Will's taste.

"I was just getting into this song," Kay objected teasingly.

Will spun and walked through the door to the entrance hall. "Did they say anything else?"

Kay shook her head. "Uh, just that they were headed there to keep civilians out of a... 'gang related disturbance,' or something."

As the music faded behind them, Will opened his omnitool to send a comm request to Vayren. The salarian answered as Will stepped out of the next door and onto the open street.

" _Busy. Is it urgent?"_

Will glanced to his left and right, and upon seeing a taxi terminal to his left, led the group toward it. "Yeah. Are you in the Blue Suns network?"

" _Yes. Which is why I'm busy,"_  he answered sternly.

"Do you see anything on their battle network about any combat actions going on?" Will asked. "This is urgent."

He, T'Lees and Kay came to a stop at the taxi terminal and requested a cab as Will waited for Vayren to respond. After nearly a minute a message arrived on Will's omnitool.

" _There appears to be heavy action in the Tilno District,"_  the salarian said.  _"I forwarded you a cluster of data points indicating ongoing combat engagements."_

"Thanks," Will said, closing out the link.

He opened up the message as the cab swooped out of the sky lane and came to rest in front of them. T'Lees and Kay hopped in as Will quickly scanned the data. He felt a knot twist in his stomach as he recognized the location. He knew the combat area all too well. Kay looked over to him and furrowed her brow.

"You coming? What's wrong?"

Will slid into the skycar and began punching in a destination. "We have to go fast. They're attacking the RMC."


	23. Chapter 23

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 23**

_**Tilno District, Omega** _

Will knew things were bad when the taxi automatically diverted them from their initial destination. A warning was spat out halfway through their flight informing them of a no-entry zone that had been established, forcing them to set down just on the edge of the cordoned area a few blocks away from the RMC headquarters. Will, T'Lees and Kay bolted down the street toward the distant sound of gunfire, only to be stopped by a barricade manned by a few rather annoyed looking Omega security officers.

"Gang activity," one of the turian officers said. "You don't want to pass through these blocks until they're done killing themselves."

"I understand the concern," Will replied urgently. "But I have friends in there. Let me through."

The two security officers who had intercepted them glanced to one another. The senior shrugged and stepped to the side.

"Fine. All we're obligated to do is tell you the risks. We gave you fair warning," he pointed out.

"Appreciate it," Kay said sarcastically as she followed Will past the barricade.

Will looked back to Kay and T'Lees with a thankful smile and pointed toward an alleyway. "We should stay out of the street."

T'Lees smirked softly. "You read my mind."

As they slipped into the dark and disheveled alley, Will looked down at his omnitool to see three new messages. He had sent out an alert to the entire crew during their cab ride informing them of the attack.

_From Eleena:_

_We'll get there as fast as we can._

Will nodded to himself. The more firepower they had the better.

_From Shansa:_

_The Kodiak is already in the shop so I'll take a cab. No transport for this one, sorry!_

He had expected as much.

_From Ralliston:_

_We're pretty deep in this outpost. May be hard to exfil. Vayren suggested that we try to fuck with their battle network from here._

Will typed out a quick response agreeing with their plan before opening a comm channel request with Eleena and Shansa. Within a few seconds they had both connected.

" _Will! Is everything okay?"_ Shansa asked.

"No idea," he answered. "We're still making our way to the fight." He paused for a moment and let out a sigh. "I can definitely hear it though."

" _We're getting out of here as fast as we can,"_  Eleena said, her voice slightly hushed.

"The three of you should meet up," Will ordered. "The security force will stop you a few blocks out from the fight, but they didn't give us any trouble when we pushed by."

" _Yeah. Okay. Good idea,"_  Shansa agreed. " _The three of us can move in together and then meet up with you guys."_

"Move quick," Will advised. "We're going in as soon as we reach the RMC. I don't think they're going to hold out long."

" _Understood. Be there soon."_

Will closed the comm signal and glanced over to his two squadmates. T'Lees and Kay had both drawn their pistols as they walked along at his side and were actively scanning each intersecting alley they passed by. Will grabbed his own sidearm and raised it as they neared a perpendicular street. They slowed and pushed themselves flush with the wall as Will took point and peered around the corner in both directions. Seeing the street empty he waved for the others to follow as he darted across the street to another alleyway. The sounds of fire, gunshots and the occasional explosion were growing louder.

"We're only a block away," Will said as he checked a map on his omnitool.

"Stay vigilant," T'Lees reminded them.

Kay held her weapon up and at the ready as she walked side-by-side with Will. Together they checked each corner before rounding them while T'Lees watched the roofs ten to twenty meters up. As the squad reached a long stretch of uninterrupted alley Kay cleared her throat and leaned toward Will.

"When you were talking to that officer before, you said you had friends in the RMC," she pointed out. "I thought you'd disowned them all."

Will shook his head. "There's only one person who really fucked me over: Kallux. There are plenty of others in the RMC that had nothing to do with his decision." He sighed irritably. "And even then... maybe if I save his ass Kallux will realize what an idiot he's been."

Kay gave him a suspicious glance, but said nothing. Upon reaching a T-intersection, Will slowed the group and silently motioned for them to follow his lead. He pressed his back to the wall of the alley and looked around the corner to the street. A fire was burning in a building across the street, though he was able to recognize their location through the smoke and flames. They were a few dozen feet away from the entrance of the RMC headquarters. Unfortunately, they were not alone.

"I see a couple of Blue Suns," he reported.

Will grabbed his collapsed helmet from the holster on his back and expanded it as the others did the same. After donning the final piece of their hardsuits and switching to their helmet comms, Kay took a deep breath and nodded.

"What's the plan?"

"I can only see a tiny bit of the street," Will thought aloud. "There could be a dozen of them. But I have an idea."

He motioned toward a door on the opposite side of the alleyway.

"We're a few buildings down from the entrance to the RMC," he informed them. "But the headquarters is made up of a bunch of old buildings at and below street level, all connected to form one large facility. I think if we go down into the basements we can find a way inside."

T'Lees nodded. "You have the most experience with this area. I trust your judgment."

"Same here," Kay agreed.

Without another word, Will stepped across the alley and tapped a button to bring up the door's lock panel. He activated his omnitool and began searching through his programs for Tul's "canned hack" library. Eleena had sent him the programs to replace those which he had lost when his omnitool was confiscated in the labor camp. The hack made quick work of the old lock and sent the door open with an amicable ping. The inside, however, was less than welcoming. Will leaned through the door to see a stairwell that descended into utter darkness after only a few feet. He activated his omnitool flashlight and took the step over the threshold.

"Scared of the dark?" Kay teased.

"Scared of falling and breaking my leg," Will replied with a smirk.

T'Lees grinned. "Oh come now, William. The inertial dampeners in your armor could cushion a fall from ten meters."

"Then I'm afraid of the dark," Will joked as he quickly began descending into the stairwell.

His light illuminated their way in an eerily tight cone. Despite the joking, both Kay and T'Lees soon activated their own flashlights to better find their way down. The first flight of stairs ended at a landing, which led around a corner to yet another flight of stairs down further into the depths of Omega. This process repeated itself three more times until they finally reached an empty room with a single door at the opposite end of the stairs. Will's footsteps reverberated along side the faint hum of machinery hidden somewhere behind the walls round them.

"I have to ask: do you actually know where we are going?" T'Lees inquired.

Will chuckled and raised his omnitool to the long-dormant door. "No. But I'll get us there."

The door reluctantly slid open to reveal a room of buzzing and glowing machinery. Will lifted his light and slowly swept the room in an attempt to identify their purpose.

"Looks like a bunch of power generators," Kay guessed.

"I think you're right," Will agreed. "Backups for the HQ. This is probably the first time they've ever been activated."

As they stepped inside, Will looked down to his omnitool and began tapping away at a map of the station. He zoomed in as close as he could to their position and narrowed his eyes in concentration, trying to translate his mental images of the RMC headquarters to their location on the map.

"We're above it," he finally said. "Split up and look for a way down. Stairs, a ladder, maintenance tunnels, anything."

Kay and T'Lees turned and headed off toward opposite ends of the room as Will hurried down the center, his flashlight casting long and tortured shadows as it shone over various pieces of machinery. As he reached the end of the row a chime rang out from his helmet comm. He accepted the incoming link and peered to his left and right in search of a passage that may allow them to sneak down into the RMC headquarters.

"This is Will," he announced.

 _"Hey, we're here. At least as close as the cab would take us,"_ Eleena reported.  _"What's the situation?"_

"Not sure yet. We're still trying to get inside." He sighed irritably and turned to a new area. "I'll turn on the mission HUD so you can find us."

Will tapped a few commands into his omnitool and waited for a response as he continued his search.

_"Got it. Fuck, we're coming in from a completely different angle. We'll figure something out."_

"You always do," he said with a small grin.

_"I'll keep you updated. Stay safe, Will."_

He nodded to himself. "You too, El."

"I've got something!" Kay called from the far end of the room.

Without a second of thought he was running toward her, dodging machinery along the way. T'Lees and Will reached Kay at the same time and let out a sigh of relief to see a hatch sealed shut with what looked like an ancient mag-lock.

"Excellent. Now how do we open it?" T'Lees inquired.

Before she had even finished asking, Kay had rammed her heel down on the block of the mag-lock with enough force to snap the old metal loop off. She let out an pained grunt and lifted her leg from an obvious tinge of sharp pain. Even so, she glanced back to the others and grinned through gritted teeth.

"Open, break... same thing."

Will smirked at the remark as he knelt beside the hatch and pulled the remnants of the broken lock aside and lifted with a deep sign of exertion. T'Lees leaned over his shoulder and directed her light into a small vertical shaft lined on one wall with a ladder ending at a metal grated floor some five meters down. Will began the descent after holstering his pistol and climbing through the open hatch. He could neither see nor hear anything below him, but continued down the ladder until his feet touched the floor. Will lifted his flashlight and stood to the side as Kay and T'Lees joined him in the new room.

"Storage room," Will deduced. "And I think I know which one."

He turned on his heel to face a door and nodded confidently. "Through here. We're near the back of the base."

The door opened to a short hallway that cast light into the dark room behind them. Will stopped and stood motionless for a few moments, listening intently.

"Gunfire," Kay noted, confirming Will's suspicions.

"These walls are thick," T'Lees added quietly. "It must be close."

The trio drew their sidearms and raised them on the door straight ahead of them. Will slowed and raised his hand to the locked door, ready to send his hack into action. He glanced back to Kay and T'Lees and, upon receiving their nod of approval, activated his omnitool. The door's lock spun momentarily before pinging happily and granting them passage. The door slid open to exactly the room Will had assumed it would: the armory. A split-second glance spotted him a few confused Blue Suns soldiers, but the true prize was only a few feet to his left. Will jumped into the room and grabbed one of the shotguns from a weapon rack standing just within arm's reach.

"Who the fuck-"

The alerted Blue Suns sergeant's exclamation was cut short by a biotic singularity cast into him and another soldier by T'Lees. With the two of them locked up, two blasts from Will's shotgun dropped them.

"We've got hostiles!" Another Blue Suns member shouted as he drew his rifle.

Will did another scan of the room in the blink of an eye. Three more targets, none of which looked particularly well armed. This was over before it started, he mused to himself.

Kay and T'Lees opened fire as Will did. The asari stood in the doorway, using the wall for cover as she threw quick biotic attacks in between shots. Kay had sprinted forward and jumped into cover behind a support column to the right of the doorway, giving the three of them good angles of fire on the entire enemy group. The return fire was scattered and disorganized, most likely due to the fact that their squad leader was already dead on the floor. Will's shotgun ripped into and killed one of the targets that had taken aim on Kay, while she and T'Lees focused on another soldier. The third, clearly seeing his chances slim, turned and ran for the nearby door on the opposite end of the room. As the forth enemy fell, Will rose to his feet into pursuit.

"Let's go!" He shouted.

T'Lees and Kay grabbed rifles off of a weapon rack as they ran by and burst into the next room where Will did a double take at the conflict they had stumbled upon. He had entered the firing range, where at the center of the room was another squad of half a dozen Blue Suns. On the other side of the room, however, was the real kicker: four RMC troopers laying down fire into the Blue Suns while an ominous krogan stood at the center firing off his dual pistols.

"Kallux!" Will shouted. "Friendlies!"

The krogan looked to Will, T'Lees and Kay and laughed. "You're surrounded!" He yelled to the Blue Suns. "Drop your weapons and-"

One of their enemies pulled his trigger and sent bullets flying toward Kallux and his squad. The RMC group swiftly cut him down.

"Anyone else?" Will mocked from the flank.

The Blue Suns soldier they had chased out of the armory thew his gun from his hands and dropped to his knees with his arms in the air. The others lowered their weapons as well and, one by one, began surrendering. Kallux motioned toward their adversaries and lowered his pistols.

"Disable their shielding systems and round them up. Standard prisoner procedure. Go!" He barked.

Will reluctantly lowered his shotgun as Kallux marched across the room and extended a hand.

"Don't know what the hell you're doing here, but I'm  _damn_  glad you are," the krogan said with a near laugh.

Will eyed the krogan's hand momentarily before meeting the gesture and shaking once.

"I didn't come here for you," Will replied as he pulled his hand back after the curt shake.

Kallux gave him a tired shrug. "Fair enough. But you  _are_  here, so we should probably stay together." He looked over Will's shoulder. "T'Lees? Good to see you. And who is the third?"

"Name's Kay," she said confidently.

"I'll think about giving you a full introduction when we have time. What's the situation down here?" Will asked, silently agreeing with the krogan's suggestion to stick together.

"You know as much as I do," Kallux admitted. "I was just down the hall when the attack started. I've been fighting my way here to get my gun." He motioned for Will to follow and walked toward the armory door.

Will turned and walked at the krogan's side. "You have no idea what's going on?"

"Our network is dead. First thing they hit," Kallux grumbled. "I managed to get comm channels open with some of our squad leaders, but I haven't heard much from them. Except that things aren't going well."

"The block is cordoned off," Will informed him. "Omega security is warning people to stay out."

Kallux stepped through the door and walked to a large locker on the wall. He placed his hand on a security scanner and waited a few seconds until the doors slid apart, allowing him to grab his cannon and two heat-sinks. He immediately slid one into its slot on the side of the weapon and stowed the backup on his belt.

"Let me guess, 'gang activity?'" Kallux bitterly mused.

"How'd you know?" Will remarked sarcastically.

The krogan powered up his cannon and spun to face Will. "We always stayed out of the Blue Suns affairs. This is nothing but a ruthless, unwarranted surprise attack."

"You had to know they would start feeling threatened by the RMC eventually," Will said with a heavy sigh. "Frankly, I'm surprised it didn't happen sooner. And that the Eclipse and Blood Pack aren't here as well."

Kallux laughed and led the two of them back out into the firing range. "You joking? The only thing those three hate more than the RMC are each other. It'd take some kind of divine intervention to get them to work together."

"Maybe they were just waiting for someone to make the first move. And the Blue Suns made it," Will said as they came to a stop.

The four soldiers that Kallux had been moving with had finished rounding up the surrendered enemies and were standing guard with admirable vigilance. Kay and T'Lees were remaining sharp as well and had taken up position to keep any eye on the door that led from the firing range into the rest of the station where gunfire continued its muffled drone.

"So are you going to help me save the Collective?"

The krogan stared Will down with a grim look of determination.

"I'll help you save the people who are a part of it," Will answered. "Now let's quit wasting time."

Kallux nodded once. "Pell, Narturus, you're with us. Aldeer, Maltis, stay with the prisoners. If one of them makes a move, put him down. Take no chances."

A salarian and turian RMC soldier readied their weapons and joined the group with a quick salute.

"I haven't been able to contact Orrat or Malylen," Kallux said with clear concern in his voice. "We were due for a meeting and I was running late. We'll check the conference room first."

Will offered no objections. "I'm following you. Kay, T'Lees, we're moving."

Together, Will's squad and the two RMC soldiers followed on the krogan's flank as he primed his cannon and stomped toward the exit. Will darted ahead of them and tapped the door's control panel, sending it open to a long, unoccupied hallway. Half of the lights hanging from the ceiling had been shot out, and at least half a dozen bodies were scattered at an even pace throughout. Two Blue Suns and four RMC soldiers. Not the ratio that Will had been hoping for. The sound of gunfire was close, and the squad knew it. Their weapons lifted into a firing position as they made their way down the hall.

"Meeting rooms are in the second door on the left," Kallux informed them.

"I remember," Will said quietly, listening for a change in the gunfire patterns.

Halfway down the hall, Will's communicator chimed and opened a channel.

"Go ahead," he said.

" _It's Shansa!"_  A voice shouted.  _"We're caught in a skirmish outside, but we're making progress!"_

Will nodded. "Take your time. Nothing risky."

" _You got it. Everything alright down there?"_

"So far," Will replied under his breath. "Found Kallux and some other Collective soldiers. We're moving to-"

He slammed his shoulder to the wall and took aim at a group of Blue Suns that had just run around the corner at the end of the hallway. He counted four, a typical fireteam. Narturus, their turian squadmate, opened fire almost before Will had even confirmed their targets. Everyone else joined soon after. Guns roared as they exchanged shots at close quarters, Will blasting his shotgun as quickly as possible. He shouted in pain as his shields dipped and failed, causing the armoring on his left leg to buckle and pierce his skin. Kallux immediately jumped in front of him as he fired his cannon, blocking incoming shots as Will scrambled back and prepped a dose of medi-gel. A static pop rang out as one of the Blue Suns overloaded Pell's shields, forcing him to drop back temporarily as well. The unmistakable sound of a biotic shockwave exploded forth from T'Lees and struck their foes dead-on, knocking two of them to the ground just as Kallux dropped a third with his cannon.

Will applied the medi-gel and pushed himself to his knee, only to see the remaining enemies had fallen under the combined gunfire of their squad. He let out a pained sigh and took the offer of Kay's helping hand to rise to his feet.

"Fuck, that stings," he said with a surprised laugh. "And, uh, thanks."

Kallux looked over his shoulder and gave him a simple nod. "You okay?"

"Yeah, looks like a shard just punctured the skin. It's nothing."

Kay grinned and hit his shoulder. "Now this is the fight I've been waiting for!"

"Pell, you alright?" Kallux asked.

"Fine, sir," the salarian answered.

The medi-gel had numbed Will's pain enough to put it out of his mind. "Then let's keep moving."

Kallux set off again without hesitation, this time with his gun aimed straight at the corner ahead. The team rounded it slowly only to see more gunfire at the T-intersection at the end of the next hall. Kallux ignored it and continued forward to a door on the left side of he hallway where a security panel shined green.

"It's unlocked," Kallux said worriedly.

Will held his hand up to the lock and tapped it once to send the door sliding open. He recognized the meeting room from the numerous advisory meetings he had attended years before. However, the room now lay in complete devastation. A fight had clearly torn the room apart and left dead scattered on the floor and table, including a large figure slumped in the back corner.

"Damn it!" Kallux roared.

He stomped inside, past the dead RMC and Blue Suns and dropped his cannon to the ground. The krogan came a slow stop beside what Will recognized as the body of an elcor. Orrat.

"I'm sorry, my friend," Kallux said solemnly.

Will did a quick visual sweep of the room. "I don't see Malylen," he said. "She must have escaped."

The krogan took a deep breath and turned back to face him with a nod of affirmation. Will furrowed his brow at the sight of a bulky object laying up against one of the walls and stepped closer to see a collection of tubes and wires connected to a single old control panel. On it was what looked like a digital clock, counting down second by second.

"Shit. They set bombs." Will cursed to himself. "Seven minutes left on this one!" He activated his omnitool and scanned the device. "The tech's too analog for me to hack. It's just a timer and wiring connected straight into the explosive detonator."

Before anyone could respond, Kallux pointed toward the door. "Look out!"

Will and the rest of the squad turned to see a group of Blue Suns entering their room that looked equally surprised. They spun and began bringing their weapons to bear, but were already behind their foes. The Blue Suns opened fire and took Pell's shielding down almost instantly as the rest of the group dove for cover and readied their weapons. Their salarian squadmate had already collapsed in a pool of blood as Will opened fire with his shotgun. Kallux roared and grabbed his gun from the ground as both groups exchanged gunfire. The Blue Suns darted back through the door to use the walls as cover, shooting into the room blindly at times. Kallux fired off shots, some of the piercing the walls where their foes hid, and marched forward snarling audibly. The guns of the Blue Suns disappeared behind the wall as Kallux continued his approach, leaving him free to charge without resistance and ignite the omniblades at the tip of his cannon. He turned into the hallway and disappeared as Will and the others watched in shock. Kay, however, recovered almost immediately and charged after him with an excited yell. She jumped through the door and turned in the opposite direction before spotting and leaping toward a target.

"Fuck, let's go!" Will shouted.

The others hurried after them and sprinted into the hallway just in time to see Kallux ramming his cannon into the chest of one of the Blue Suns soldiers, pinning him to the wall. The Blue Suns fired erratically as the krogan jumped toward another. Will whipped his head to the right where Kay was firing her rifle point-blank at a single enemy who was staggering back and attempting to escape. Will raised his weapon to assist her, but could not get a clear line of fire. As the Blue Sun's shields wavered and dropped, Kay jumped forward and slammed the stock of her rifle into his chest before tossing it to the side and swinging at him with a sharp right hook. Her armored fist struck his neck, twisting it in a disturbingly unnatural direction and dropping him to the ground a motionless lump. With no other enemies on Kay's side of the door, Will spun back to see T'Lees and Narturus cutting down a target as Kallux impaled the final Blue Suns member with his gun's blades. Seeing no one else, Will lowered his rifle as the others regrouped.

"Pell?" Narturus asked.

"Monitor shows no life," Kallux muttered angrily. "Come on, we need to keep moving and find Malylen."

"What about the fucking bomb that we don't have a technician to defuse?" Will asked sharply.

"We've got five minutes at least, we'll sweep and clear to an exit!" Kallux shouted as he began typing into his omnitool. "I'll send a message to all the squad leaders I was able to contact and order an evacuation."

The group set off down the hall with their weapons at the ready.

"Have you been able to contact this Malylen?" T'Lees asked.

"No. No response," Kallux replied quietly.

The group rounded the corner to a hallway ending at a door that Will recognized as one of the entrances to the facility's garage. It was one of the only rooms in the RMC headquarters that was two stories, and by far the largest in terms of volume.

" _Will, can you hear me?"_

He opened his mic to reply. "I hear you, Eleena."

" _We're headed inside now through the main entrance. Had to fight off a bunch of Blue Suns."_

"Don't. There's at least one bomb down here, maybe more. Secure the street level and we'll be out soon."

Kallux reached the door and slammed his fist into the controls, ordering it open. The door pinged and slid apart to reveal what was almost more of a hangar than a garage, with its large doors open to the Omega sky lanes. At the far end of the room a group of Kodiaks were taking off and flying out into the sky while a handful more were loading up Blue Suns troops. Will raised his rifle to take aim when his eyes caught sight of a man pointing and shouting orders to the Blue Suns as they boarded their shuttles. His skin was frighteningly pale while his hair was dark as the abyss. His voice caused Will's grip on his weapon to tighten involuntarily as pure rage filled his head.

"Janson!" He yelled at the top of his lungs, the name dripping with bile.

The Blue Suns commander jerked his head to the side as a few of his troops spun and took aim on the RMC squad. Janson stared for a moment before dropping his arm to his side and letting out a disbelieving laugh.

"You gotta be shitting me," he said with a shake of his head.

Another Kodiak had shut its hatch and blasted off out of the garage, leaving only one remaining with Janson and his three underlings. Will and the rest of his squad slowly spread out in the room, all of them holding their weapons on the Blue Suns with their fingers on the trigger. Will steadied his breath as much as he could and swallowed hard before opening his mouth to speak.

"Didn't expect to see you so soon," he said through gritted teeth.

Will paused for a moment. He was ready to kill. He was ready to put Janson down and be done with him and the Blue Suns. But that wouldn't defuse the bomb they had found.

"How'd you like to get rid of that bomb in the conference room?" Will said as threateningly as possible.

He could wait a minute or two before killing Janson.

The commander laughed and raised a hand. "Hold on, you gotta give me a second to catch up here. I thought you were rotting in that mine, or better, long dead." He raised a finger. "Wait, just so we're clear, you are Hume, right?  _Captain_  Hume?"

The condescension was dripping in his words.

"I'm not a captain anymore," Will growled. "Now shut your fucking mouth and come disarm this bomb."

Janson snorted. "Go fuck yourself. Even if I wanted to, which I sure as shit don't, I don't have time to hit all five."

"Five?" Kallux barked. "You'll take this entire building down! There are innocent people above us!"

"And a bunch of shits that need to be wiped off the face of Terminus right in front of me," Janson finished.

"Disarm them or you're fucking dead!" Will shouted.

Janson bared his teeth. "Not a chance."

Will dropped all pretense of composure and pulled the trigger of his shotgun. Unfortunately, Janson and his men were well beyond the weapon's effective range and merely scrambled back into their Kodiak's open passenger compartment. The others opened fire as well, peppering the shuttle with bullets as the hatch slammed shut and rocketed forward. Kallux's cannon clipped one of the thrusters on the Kodiak, causing a small trail of smoke to follow it as the shuttle flew out and into the night sky. Will shouted in guttural anger and threw his gun away with his every ounce of strength in his body. The shotgun crashed into a support pillar and clattered to the ground with a small thump. The group slowly lowered their weapons as Will panted and clenched his fists.

"I was  _so close_ to him!" He exclaimed helplessly. "I could have shot the fucking bastard when we walked into the room!"

Kay stepped up to him and grabbed his arm. "Get a fucking grip on yourself, Willie," she said impatiently. "We need to get the hell out of here. Bombs, remember?"

Kallux nodded quickly in agreement. "Come on, we'll take one of the RMC's Kodiaks. Narturus, call Omega security and tell them the situation!"

T'Lees, Kallux and Narturus ran toward an idling Kodiak in the center of the garage as Will continued to stare at the ground with trembling hands. Kay stood at his side, looking him up and down with just a slight bit of concern in her eyes.

"Will, come on! We need to leave  _now._ "

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before finally looking up. "I... yeah. Okay."

Together they jogged across the room to the Kodiak that the others had entered. Will climbed into the passenger compartment and slumped down into one of the seats, his eyes staring into nothing as the hatch shut at the thrusters pushed them up and out of the hangar.


	24. Chapter 24

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 24**

_**Tilno District, Omega** _

Kay grabbed onto the cockpit doorway and leaned forward.

"Track them!" She shouted to Kallux.

The krogan shook his head. "It's already gone." He leaned over and tapped a few commands into another screen. "And this thing's just a transport. It doesn't have any special tech."

Kay glanced back over her shoulder to where Will sat with his eyes closed trying to collect himself. She looked to T'Lees, who only returned a small frown. Kay turned back and grabbed Kallux by the shoulder.

"Kallux, you have to tail them!"

"They're  _gone_ _,_ " the krogan snapped.

She jumped back slightly. Apparently it took a krogan to make Kay flinch. After a few seconds of silence, Will opened his eyes and pulled himself to his feet with a calming breath. Kay stepped aside as he marched to the cockpit.

"We need to pick up the others," Will said firmly.

Kallux did a double take. "Where are they?"

Will glanced to his side. "Kay?"

"On it," she replied.

The krogan swung the Kodiak out of its slow but steady route and turned it back toward the RMC's headquarters. "I sent a message to all of my lieutenants telling them to evacuate immediately," he said. "I didn't get many responses."

"I'm sorry," Will replied simply.

Kallux grunted. "I also sent a message warning the Omega authorities."

"I'm just hoping the district is still standing in a minute and a half," Will answered.

"Got their coordinates," Kay said as she pushed by Will and jumped into the copilot's seat.

A few seconds later she had transferred the data to the shuttle's nav panel and Kallux pushed the thrusters into full drive. The Kodiak dipped down between a set of buildings and into a side street a block or two away from the RMC's entrance. Narturus opened the shuttle's hatch and stepped back as they settled onto the ground and billowing blew dust and debris flew around them. Will turned to face the open side-hatch and held out a hand as three figures came trotting through the dust. Shansa reached up to grab the outstretched hand and was pulled up into the passenger compartment of the Kodiak as Eleena and Fynnis began climbing in beside her. Will leaned down and helped Eleena to her feet as T'Lees offered the same to Fynnis.

"They're in," Kay said as she watched from the cockpit.

"Good. We've only got a few seconds left," Kallux remarked as the Kodiak lurched forward.

The shuttle's door shut quickly as it tilted upward and away from the ground.

"Get us to a safe distance and hold," Will said as he pulled off his helmet.

Kallux did not respond, but complied. Together, they looked through the front viewport and watched in anxious silence until a sudden flash and shake erupted from the building a few hundred meters away. The sound of a series of explosions soon followed, causing the six story building on top of the RMC to buckle and crumple amidst a gushing torrent of dust and smoke. Kallux clenched his fist and slammed it into the metal plating on his left while letting out an enraged roar.

T'Lees let out a small gasp as she looked over Will's shoulder. "That must have destabilized half the block."

Shansa grabbed Will's arm. "We need to help!"

He shrugged. "How?"

"Set us down! We can help the injured!" Shansa ordered. "Kallux, set the damn shuttle down!"

Kallux nodded slowly as he set aside his anger. "That's a good idea. There may be people trapped in the debris."

She pushed Will out of the way and pointed through the viewport. "There. That alley looks clear."

Shansa spun around and pressed her hand to the hatch controls as Kallux began their descent. Will had removed himself from the center of the action and sat on one of the nearby troop benches. Eleena knelt at his side and took his hand in her's.

"Will, are you alright?" She whispered.

He took a deep breath. "Yeah. Defeated, angry, depressed. But I'll be okay."

The asari frowned deeply and tilted her head in concern. "You need to talk? What happened?"

The shuttle shook as Kallux set it down with far more urgency than grace. Shansa opened the hatch and covered her eyes as smoke and dust once again swirled into the cabin. Will shielded his eyes for a moment and looked down to the helmet in his hand. He let out a single, determined sigh and brought the helmet up onto his head as he stood and lifted his chin.

"I'll tell you and everyone else later," Will finally replied. "We've got work to do first."

Eleena pursed her lips and smiled in relief. "You bet your ass we do."

* * *

The crew hadn't been in the debris long before Ralliston and Vayren arrived. Will had sent a quick message informing them of the situation only to find that they had already finished their work infiltrating the Blue Suns network. They had made their way to the wreckage of the RMC's headquarters as fast as possible and together, along with some RMC soldiers that had managed to escape and regroup, the crew began digging into the debris. Thankfully, the building was comprised of dozens of prefab units connected into one giant amalgamation that had crumpled in the lower levels without destroying those on top. However, the fire that broke out nearly doubled the damage itself. Will and the rest of the team stayed far away from the burning sections of the collapsed building as the Omega security teams used some cleverly controlled mass effect fields and oxygen starvation to extinguish the flames.

After eight straight hours of both digging through rubble and climbing the sections of the building still in one piece, the group decided to call their search complete. Vayren helped Kallux in reestablishing connection and communication on their RMC's private network, which the krogan used to post a standing bulletin ordering everyone to check in when they could, but stay safe. To Will's chagrin, Kay offered Kallux a place to stay for a day or so on the  _Trueshot_ , as he was understandably apprehensive about returning to his own home. Together, they decided to rest up with a planned time to regroup and discuss their next course of action the following morning. Eight restless hours later, Will pulled himself from his bunk and noticed that three people, T'Lees, Eleena and Kallux, had already risen from their sleep and left. After a shower and a quick breakfast he wandered into the halls of the ship. He took a slow walk around the lower level thinking over the past day and what their plans would be going forward, the latter of which would depend on what Vayren was able to find on the Blue Suns network. As he reached and began ascending the stairs at the stern of the ship he heard the voices of T'Lees and Kay from somewhere on the second level echoing down to him.

"You are  _vastly_  overestimating my capabilities," the asari said with a playful laugh.

Will raised a brow and continued up the stairs, listening closely.

"Pretty sure you're just being modest," Kay objected. "I saw you fight down there. You were handling that rifle better than most of the mercs I've run with!"

"Anyone can handle a rifle," T'Lees replied with an audible grin. "But  _biotics_  are how you really turn a fight."

Will stepped onto the landing at the top of the stairs and walked toward the meeting table where Kay and T'Lees were standing and chatting with one another. The asari had her hands behind her back and her fingers laced together gently while Kay leaned against the center table with her arms crossed over her chest. Kay spotted Will as he approached and nodded toward him, causing T'Lees to glance over her shoulder curiously.

"Will! Tell Blue to stop being so damn humble and accept my compliment," she called.

He came to a stop beside them and placed his hands on his hips. Will took in a deep breath and pushed his thoughts aside. He could take a minute or two off from worrying.

Finally, he raised a brow and opened his mouth to speak. "'Blue,' huh?"

"Not the most original nickname for an asari," T'Lees teased with a wicked grin.

Kay rolled her eyes. "Rolls of the tongue better than 'Teal' does."

The asari raised her chin softly. "And I appreciate that you can distinguish the difference between them," she said while touching a finger to one of her cheeks absentmindedly.

Will looked to one then the other. "What exactly is the compliment she refused to accept?"

"I said that I admire someone who can hold their own in a fight," Kay replied. "She keeps insisting that she's nothing special." She snapped her fingers and pointed to Will. "In fact, you're the best person to settle this! I mean, she served under you for a while, right?"

"Yeah, that's true, we fought together for quite a while," Will answered. "And I've gotta give it to Kay on this one. Even with one eye, you know how to kick an ass or two," he jabbed, turning back to T'Lees.

"He's got a point," Kay said, nodding in agreement. "I didn't even mention how sexy those scars are."

"Most likely because they have no bearing on my fighting prowess," T'Lees replied with a slight blush. "And take me word for it, you only think the scars are 'sexy' because you cannot see what is behind the eyepatch adjacent to them."

Kay raised her finger in consideration and tapped her lips. "I dunno, the eyepatch is pretty hot, too."

Will raised his brow and glanced between the two of them as T'Lees laughed softly and Kay gave him a quick wink. He smirked to himself and looked toward the stairs behind them as a deep, rhythmic thud was growing as a preamble to the sight of a krogan. Kallux eyed his new surroundings with understandable curiosity and walked at a slow pace toward the three of them. He slowed and came to a stop a few steps away, with Will standing to the side as the krogan faced Kay.

"Captain, thank you again for offering me a bunk last night," he said in a low rumble.

Kay smirked. "You kidding? Favor for Fayneer, a favor for a krogan... before you know it I'll have half the scary bastards in the galaxy owing me something in return."

Kallux laughed bitterly. "Not sure how much good a favor from me will do now, but thank you again. We were never properly introduced..."

Kay extended a hand. "Kay Fischer."

"Raik Kallux," the krogan replied, taking the hand.

They shook a couple of times, both of them clearly trying to read as much as possible from each others handshakes. Kallux suddenly retracted his hand and narrowed his eyes.

"Wait a minute. Your family name is Fischer?"

"Yep. Shansa's sister," Kay replied with a grin.

Will could tell that she was starting to enjoy the practice of revealing her relationship to Shansa.

Kallux let out a small chuckle. "I didn't know she had a sister," he admitted.

"Probably because they thought I was dead for nearly a decade," Kay said with a coy smile.

The krogan gave Will a perplexed look. "Then how the hell did you find her  _now_ of all times?"

"I figured I'd have to tell this story again," Will mused. "Luckily for you, I've gotten pretty good at it."

It took only ten or fifteen minutes for Will to give Kallux the abridged version of his capture, rescue and journey to where they stood now. The krogan even stopped him at one point to mention how relieved he had been to see that Will had found Shansa and Eleena. Though the emergency at hand had deprived them of the reunion he had hoped for. As Will finished the tale, Ralliston and Fynnis came marching into the operations center, giving a quick nod to everyone as they did. Kallux was given a quick introduction to Fynnis before turning to face Ralliston and sharing yet another handshake and respectful nod.

"Damn glad you were able to help them find Shansa and Eleena," Kallux said.

Will was a little surprised. He had expected the RMC business between Kallux and Ralliston.

"Me too," the turian replied. "Also glad that Hume didn't shoot me on sight."

"It was tough to resist," Will joked quietly.

No one noticed Vayren approaching until he had come to a stop at the side of the group. Fynnis jumped slightly and shook his head at salarian's sudden and stealthy appearance. Vayren and Kallux shared a quick greeting before the Spectre set to work uploading his data to the banks of the  _Trueshot_. Only a few minutes later the last two members of the crew, Shansa and Eleena, appeared at the stairwell and joined the group. The two of them stood staring at Kallux.

The krogan sighed. "It's good to see you two alive and well."

Eleena narrowed her eyes. She and most of the  _Hyperion_  crew had made him the scapegoat for their troubles following their confrontation with Cerberus. But like the others, she was starting to feel as though the grudge, deserved or not, was not worth the trouble and complications of holding onto. There were too many variables to place the blame on one person. The desire to say something snide was snuffed out with a deep breath and tiny, yet earnest smile.

"You too," she said quietly.

Shansa nodded in agreement. "I'm glad you made it out of there okay."

Kallux shook his head. "When Hume came to me looking for you..." He paused and collected his words. "I'm sorry about what came between us. I hope we can forgive each other and, maybe, start fresh."

Will, Kallux, Eleena and Shansa all shifted their eyes between one another, waiting for a response. Will waited a few quiet seconds before taking a step toward Kallux and offering a hand.

"I think we've got a lot more to talk through. But for the time being we're going to need each other."

The krogan took the hand and shook firmly. "Not exactly amicable. But it's a start."

Kay cleared her throat and straightened herself up. "So! Let's get things moving, huh?"

"Yes, thank you, Kay," Will agreed as he turned to the center of the room. "Now where the hell do we start?"

The others circled around the meeting table and set their eyes on him.

"I suggest a debriefing of each squad," Vayren said as he continued to sift through data on his omnitool.

"Good idea. Let's start with Shansa."

She perked up and bit her lip nervously. "Uhh, well, I brought the Kodiak to the garage and they gave me an estimate... then I handed it over for the repairs. When I got Will's message that something was going on at the RMC headquarters I got a taxi and met Eleena and Fynnis a few blocks away from the trouble. We fought our way toward the entrance, but turned back right after we reached it. That's really it for me."

Will nodded and looked to Eleena. "How about you and Fynnis?"

The asari placed her hands on the table and leaned forward. "We found a server hub for the Port Authority and were able to break in pretty easily. Surprisingly so, actually. Fynnis, you got a rundown of what you pulled?"

Fynnis opened his omnitool and tapped in a few commands. "A lot of garbage at first. But then I found something pretty useful: a bunch of immigration records from the past few weeks. Just names and the ships they arrived on." He shook his head and sighed. "Unfortunately my query for 'Janson' didn't return anything."

Eleena turned her eyes to Will. "That was all we found before you sent out the call for help. You know what happened after that."

"Rendezvoused with Shansa and fought your way to the RMC's main entrance," Will concluded. "Vayren, what about you two?"

The Spectre looked up from his omnitool perfectly on cue and stood at attention with his hands behind his back, almost as though he had subconsciously entered the stance for the debriefing.

"Ralliston and I made our way to the fairly small Blue Suns outpost quite quickly. Getting past the guards proved trivial with my stealth generator. Once inside their security room I spoofed a false alarm that allowed Ralliston to sneak in and act as my lookout."

Vayren leaned forward to use the holographic display's control panel. A few graphical representations of digital files appeared above the table glowing blue and white.

"This is what I was able to recover. Mainly troop rosters and deployment records on the station itself." He glanced up to the others as they watched. "Not what I was hoping for. The outpost had limited access to the Blue Suns' entire network, and that which it did have only pertained to Omega."

"Any mention of Janson?" Will asked, hopefully.

"Only that he had ordered many of the movements," Vayren replied. "It seems that above a certain rank, Blue Suns officers operate outside any horizontal command structure. Even vertical, in some places."

Fynnis crossed his arms. "Meaning what, exactly?"

Vayren turned his eyes to the turian. "Meaning, they operate with very basic guidelines and are typically only course corrected if their superiors are dissatisfied with their results. My hypothesis is that they want plausible deniability as a valid argument if any of the senior members of the organization were questioned over illegal Blue Suns activity." He looked back to Will. "After I had scraped everything I could, the two of us joined you and the others at the remains of the Red Moon Collective headquarters."

"Alright." Will nodded and stood up straight. "As for me, T'Lees and Kay, we were working on finding some Blue Suns at a club when we got word of trouble in the Tilno District. We made our way their as fast as possible and were able to infiltrate the RMC through a generator room just above the armory. We made contact with Kallux and his squad before discovering that the Blue Suns had rigged the building to explode. As we attempted to exfil..." He paused and took a deep breath. "We reached the hangar and ran into a Blue Suns squad. Janson was in command."

Those who had not been with him did not attempt to hide their surprise.

" _What?_ " Eleena asked in disbelief.

"It's true," Kallux chimed in.

Ralliston leaned forward and narrowed his eyes. "What happened?"

"He got away," Will answered quietly.

Shansa raised a finger. "But, we know he's still around!"

Eleena let out a small laugh and shook her head. "Ever the optimist, Shansa."

"You may be joking, but she's right," Fynnis said. "We know he's still active in the system and with the Blue Suns."

"Ahem," Will called before anyone could respond. "Yes, the fucking bastard is still out there. And we're not giving up on catching him. But first..." He looked to Kallux. "What's the status of the RMC?"

The krogan seemed genuinely surprised at Will's concern, whether it was genuine or not. "It's not good," he said bluntly. "We're scattered and we lost a good number of people in the attack. Our numbers weren't great to begin with, and I'm afraid we're just going to be an easy target now that we've lost so much of our infrastructure." He looked down to his omnitool with grim eyes. "On top of that, many of my lieutenants are reporting large abandonment numbers."

"Hard to stay loyal to an organization when the Blue Suns are tearing it down. Especially when you're just there for the paycheck," Will pointed out.

Kallux nodded. "Sadly, yes. Most of those we have left are either old members who have been part of the RMC for years, or the early recruits that were eager to help people on Omega." The krogan looked up to Will. "Before we opened up the ranks to the average merc."

"What is your plan?" T'Lees asked. "At least for the moment."

"Everyone is laying low for now. We'll regroup once I have solid numbers on our ranks." Kallux lifted his lips in a small smile. "I do have some good news, though. Malylen made contact with me a few hours ago. She was able to escape before the building came down and is in a safehouse with around a dozen RMC troops."

Will let out a small sigh of relief. He hadn't always seen eye to eye with Malylen, even before his falling out with the RMC, but she was a valuable tactician.

Kay crossed her arms. "So, Will, what's our plan?"

"That's a good question. Kallux, does the RMC need any help? Have you heard about any possible follow-up attacks by the Blue Suns?"

The krogan shook his head. "Like I said, we're laying low for a few days. Our intel is going to be shit until then."

"In that case, I have a suggestion," Vayren asserted. "We have a list of immigration data from the Port Authority and a list of troop movements from the Blue Suns. If I cross-reference the two, we will have a list of ships that the Blue Suns uses."

"What good will that do?" Eleena asked with a cocked brow.

The salarian glanced toward Ralliston. The turian raised his chin and stepped forward.

"Well, uh, Vayren was asking me about the Blue Suns network structure while he was in there and I told him that they have separate networks for each star system, but one interconnect network for their fleet."

Vayren raised a finger. "And if we know the names and movements of the ships in their fleet, we may be able to sneak aboard one and access their galactic network."

Will nodded slowly. "So, worst case scenario, we may find out what ships Janson travels on. Best case, we can know where he is at any time." He pointed to Vayren and smiled for the first time in a day. "Get on it. Fynnis, help him out if he needs it."

"Will do," the turian replied.

"Now, Kallux..." Will glanced over to the krogan.

Kallux turned to Will and let out a hefty sigh. "I can't do much for the RMC right now, Hume. And if I were to stay on Omega, I'd just have to hide. If you'll have it, you've got my help for the next few days." He snarled and narrowed his eyes. "Janson just jumped to the top of a few of my lists."

A hint of comradery ignited in the back of his mind that Will hadn't felt toward Kallux in years.

"How can I say no to a krogan?" He mused with a smirk.

* * *

As Vayren and Fynnis worked on putting together a list of ships, Will helped Kallux settle in on the ship. They had managed to recover some of the spare parts and tools for his cannon while digging through the wreckage of the RMC, and the krogan was itching to determine what was still usable. Kallux continued to monitor the casualty reports that trickled in, but tried not to linger on them. Scanners had already confirmed that there were no remaining life signs in the rubble of the RMC. Satisfied that Kallux had settled in, Will had only one person he wanted to see. He tapped the door controls on the engineering compartment and watched as it slid open to Eleena working diligently as always on the FTL core. Instead of keeping at the work when the door opened, as she usually did, she immediately set her holopad aside and hurried toward him.

She wrapped her arms around him as the door slid shut behind them. "Will, fuck, are you okay? Do you need to talk about-"

"I'm fine," he interrupted. "Really."

Eleena stood back. "Just like that? You were so close..."

Will smiled softly. "Eleena, I'm  _fine._ Yeah, I'm angry and upset that he got away, but..." He shook his head. "I dunno. Seeing him face to face again reminded me that he's not some unattainable, abstract idea. Janson's just a man. And we'll catch him."

"Look at you," she said with a proud smile. "Taking this in stride. Hell, and you're even smiling!"

Will gave her a tired grin. "Being angry is starting to take its toll," he said. "Now I just want this to be over."

Eleena stared into his eyes with a warm smile. "I have something for you," she said softly.

"Oh?"

She nodded and turned toward a crate of supplies. However, instead of the crate itself, she reached for her work bag and began rifling through the contents blindly. Whatever she was looking for was easy enough to distinguish by touch, Will surmised. The asari let out an approving noise as she pulled something from the bag and stood to face Will with her hands outstretched. He looked down to her palms to see what looked like half of an old book. The cover had been completely torn off, along with a good chunk of the pages. Will lifted his hand and grasped the remnants of the book, lifting it from her hands. He slowly turned the book on its side to read the still intact spine.

" _For Whom the Bell Tolls,_ " he read under his breath. Will looked up to Eleena and raised a brow. "How?"

The asari's face was adorned with a bittersweet smile. "I spotted it in the wreckage while we were looking for your body."

Will looked down at the tattered pages once again. "I can't believe it survived. Any of it."

"Not much else did," she affirmed. "But when I saw that," her voice lost its words momentarily. "I couldn't just let it float off. Not something that precious to me."

He tried to swallow the lump in his throat and let out a surprised laugh. "And you've been holding onto it all this time? Just in your bag?"

"It was nice to have something of yours that I could touch," Eleena explained. "It was... really tough sometimes only having you in my mind."

"Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?" Will asked as he reached for one of her hands.

She averted her eyes. "This was all I had of you for so long. Besides our memories. Maybe I was just waiting to wake up and realize I've been dreaming the past few weeks."

He smiled and held the book back to her. Eleena shook her head and held up a hand in protest.

"It's yours, Will."

"It's not," he replied with a chuckle. "It's a book that used to sit on a shelf in my ship."

The asari crossed her arms and smirked. "That ship doesn't exist anymore."

Will looked down at the charred and torn remnants of the book in his hands.

"You're right about that," he said. "Why don't we just call it ours?"

"Fair enough."

Their eyes met for a few silent seconds. Eleena took a step closer and raised a hand to his cheek, stroking it gently with her thumb.

"I love you," she said.

Will blinked in slight surprise.

"I thought you needed to wait and take some time to figure things out," he replied.

Eleena let out a happy sigh. "There are  _always_  going to be things that need to be worked out. Problems to solve. Questions to answer. And I want to get through them all with you. Whatever they are."

Will leaned forward and kissed her gently on the lips. "It's about damn time. Because I love you too."

She grinned and gave him a playful punch on the arm. "Don't pull that fuckin' attitude on me."

"Wouldn't dream of it," he teased.


	25. Chapter 25

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 25**

_**ISV Trueshot, Omega** _

Will had spent an hour watching Eleena as she meticulously replaced the small yet crucial components of the starboard ship-to-ship cannon. He was growing impatient waiting for Vayren and Fynnis to finish formulating their plan. After deciding to wander he stood and gave Eleena a kiss goodbye, which she accepted before quickly jumping back into her work without skipping a beat. Will walked toward the cargo bay's exit and looked over to the wall where the armory was located. Kallux worked at his workbench while Kay stood at his side, eagerly watching and asking questions about his weapon as he broke it down for maintenance. Will continued through the hallway and into the crews quarters where he saw Shansa sitting with her elbow on the table and cheek resting in her palm. Her eyes were locked on the holopad in front of her as the door opened, but soon flicked up to see Will standing in the doorway.

"Heya," she said with a small smile.

He smiled in return and walked to the kitchenette. "Hey yourself. How are you doing, Shan?"

Shansa shrugged softly and looked back down at the extranet page she had been reading. "I'm... okay."

"You don't sound entirely convinced," he said with a small chuckle.

Will grabbed a drink from the cooler and turned to sit at the table beside her. She continued to stare down at the holopad with the hint of a frown hanging on her lips. He took a sip from his drink and raised a brow in concern.

"Shansa?"

She blinked and looked up. "Sorry. I'm a little distracted."

He furrowed his brow. "Something wrong?"

"Nothing major," she said meekly. "I've just been thinking about how nice it is to see everyone together again." Shansa let out a small laugh. "Even my  _sister!_ God, I never in a million years expected that."

"And seeing everyone is making you said?" Will asked, audibly confused.

Shansa shook her head. "No! No, of course not." She sighed softly. "I just... I wish Tul'Sorrin was here with us."

Will looked down to the table and nodded softly. "Yeah. Me too."

She shook her head. "I just don't... I don't understand why he left. I thought we needed each other after you were gone."

"Maybe he didn't have enough reason to stay?" He suggested.

Shansa gave him a pained frown. "That can't be it. We were..." She let out an exasperated sigh. "We becoming so close just before you died."

Will raised his brows. "'Close?'"

She shot him a quick glance. "Yes."

He paused for a moment. He knew that Shansa had been interested in Tul'Sorrin, but he had never found out of the quarian felt the same way.

"You never told me where he went," Will reminded her.

"Because I promised I wouldn't," Shansa replied.

He shook his head. "But you just let him leave? Even after you two were-"

"I didn't think he would be gone for so long," she interrupted.

Shansa placed her hand over her eyes and took in a deep breath to collect herself.

"Sorry. I'm really sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I just miss him."

"I didn't realize how much he meant to you," Will said quietly.

"We were just getting to know each other on that... really personal level, you know?" Shansa sighed and looked down to the table. "And he promised he'd come back. But how long am I supposed to wait for him?"

Will shook his head in uncertainty as he responded. "As long as you want to. How long do you think you can wait before it's just not worth it?"

Shansa frowned and shook her head. "I don't know! I don't know, Will. If I knew the answer to that question I wouldn't have this problem." She looked over to him. "I don't even know if we were really compatible or just lonely."

"Then maybe that's your answer," he said. "Maybe you need to see how you feel about some other people before you decide Tul's the one to wait for."

Shansa nodded gently. "You may be right, Will. I should  _meet_  some people. I need to find out what I really want."

Will smiled and reached over to put his hand on her shoulder. "How about after all this is over we head to the bar and you start chatting up some cute strangers," he suggested while sipping down the last of his drink.

She blushed and shook her head quickly. "Oh, no, I couldn't do that. Talking to strangers face to face is bad enough, you want me to flirt with them? No, no, no."

He laughed and stood up from the table. "Maybe you can join a piloting club then. Find some people with common interests."

"Okay, okay, you've already solved my initial problem," Shansa objected with a chuckle. "I'll figure out the rest!"

* * *

"Let's get to business," Vayren said curtly.

Will and Kay stood on one side of the meeting table while Vayren and Fynnis stood on the other. The salarian was bringing up files and correlating pieces of data while the turian leaned back with his arms crossed.

"We have the names of a few ships," Vayren continued. "We believe they belong to the Blue Suns and operate within the Omega Nebula, given how frequently they dock with the station."

"So, do you still think our best option is sneaking onto one of the ships and stealing their records?" Will asked.

"Yes," Vayren answered.

Kay grinned. "So we head on down to one of their berths and perform a little smash and grab?"

"That is where I object," Vayren stated firmly. "Infiltrating an outpost or base is one thing, but a ship is something else entirely. A standalone structure provides dozens of possible entry points and methods of infiltration. But a docked ship typically only has one or two ways in and out."

"Sounds like you know from experience?" Will inquired.

The salarian chuckled. "For better or worse, yes."

Kay narrowed her eyes. "So the port is a no go? Then how do we do it? I mean, we can't just roll up next to them when they're out in space and ask to come aboard. Seems like catching them while they're docked is our best option."

Fynnis leaned forward to enter the conversation, speaking slowly as though he was convincing himself of his own thoughts. "Docked, yes. But in a port? Not necessarily," he said. "What if we camped out at one of the fuel depots on the edge of the system and hit them there? Think about it: if things go south, they'll be hours of FTL away from reinforcements. Plus, jamming a comm signal that relies on a buoy for transmission is way easier than a short-range, point to point connection that you can use over a few miles. You know, the connections they use here on Omega."

"How exactly would we do that?" Will inquired. "Do fuel stations even allow people to come on board?"

"Not typically," Vayren answered as he considered the option. "We may have to convince the platform's operator to let us dock and disembark for an extended amount of time."

Kay glanced over to Will, clearly unconvinced. "Sounds like we need to investigate whether or not this is even possible."

He nodded in agreement. "Definitely. Vayren, could we contact the fuel depots in the system and find out if we can disembark while fueling up? And how often they typically see a Blue Suns ship?"

"I suppose we could," the Spectre answered. "But those questions may come off as rather suspicious."

"Yeah, scrap the first one," Fynnis suggested. "I think we'd have a better chance if we faked a mechanical failure while fueling." He looked around to the others. "That would let us sit around for a little while and 'make repairs.'"

"That's actually not a bad idea," Vayren complimented. "Alright. I'll send a message out to all the fuel stations in the system asking about Blue Suns activity. Under the guise of an official military inquiry, or something like that."

Will stepped back with a smile. "Great. Kay, let's get the crew ready for departure." He looked back to Vayren and Fynnis with an appreciative nod. "Good work, you two. Let me know when we've got a target with the highest potential."

Kay and Will turned and marched toward the stairs at the back of the operations center.

"Damn glad we have Vayren with us," Kay mentioned.

Will chuckled as they hurried down the stairs. "Come on now, Fynnis is doing a damn good job as well."

"Yeah, I guess so," Kay said with an air of pride. "Feels good that he's able to do more than just hack bank terminals and safes on Omega."

Will decided to keep the information that Fynnis had revealed to him quiet. If Fynnis had not told his sole crewmate the truth about his past employment, he certainly wasn't going to go spouting it off to her.

"Hit the cargo bay and make sure everyone there is set to go," Kay said as they reached the end of the hall. "I'll get the crew's quarters and bunkroom."

He nodded and continued on. Will stepped into the cargo bay and crossed the room to where Eleena was still working on the starboard battery. She gave him a sideways glace as he approached and put her omnitool in standby.

Eleena grinned and turned to face him. "Hey, Willie."

He came to a stop and groaned. "Eleena..."

"Teasing," she said with a snicker. "Vayren and Fynnis find anything?"

"Yep. I'll fill everyone in after we've cast off," Will replied. "You need anything before we leave port?"

The asari shook her head and planted her hands on her hips. "Nope. I've got everything I need."

He smiled at what looked like a smudge of oil across the purple skin of her cheek. "How's the work going?"

"Damn good!" She answered excitedly. "I'm glad you asked. This battery should be operational in a few hours. It'll need some major calibrations to really pack a punch, of course, but it  _will_  shoot."

Will raised his brows. "Really? That was fast."

Eleena gave him a cocky grin. "Will, please, you've seen my work before. No need to feign surprise."

Will smirked and stepped closer to her, placing his hands on her hips. "Alright, alright, don't gettoo full of yourself."

They pressed their bodies together and she brushed her lips to his ear. "Confidence is part of the package, Will. You should know that by now."

"Confidence or cockiness?" He teased.

Eleena chuckled softly and slid her hands around to his backside. "Does it really matter when I can actually back it up?"

The gruff voice of their krogan companion called from across the room. "You two need me to leave?"

They quickly separated and turned to face the rear of the cargo bay where Kallux was leaning against the workbench. Will cleared his throat and shook his head.

"Uh, no. Sorry. I kind of forgot you were in here," he said nervously.

Kallux smirked. "Uh huh." He shook his head and looked back to his workbench. "Glad you two are back to your normal selves."

Will and Eleena shared a quick glance and smile.

"It took a little while," she said. "But I'm glad too."

Will gave her a wink and held up a finger as he started off across the room. "By the way, Kallux, we're going to be heading out of port for a few days. You sure you want to help? If you need to stay on Omega..."

The krogan turned back to Will once again as he approached. "No, I'm with you, Hume. I'm not going to help find Janson by sitting in a safehouse on Omega. I've already placed Malylen in command until further notice."

Will took a deep breath and cracked a tiny smile. "Thanks, Kallux. I really do appreciate your help."

Kallux parted his lips just barely, but decided against speaking and simply nodded in return.

"Do you need anything before we leave?" Will asked.

"No. I'm ready," he replied in gravelly determination.

Will smirked. "Good. Now let's hope the Blue Suns aren't."

* * *

After casting off, Shansa brought the  _Trueshot_ out of the asteroid belt and waited for a destination. Less than an hour later, Fynnis and Vayren had decided on their destination: Sahrabarik Fuel Depot 3. It was by far the most isolated of the fuel stations in the system, which lent credence to the reports of frequent gang presence. The flight took only six hours, most of which time Will spent talking to Eleena as she worked tirelessly on the starboard gun battery. After receiving a ten minute warning for their exit out of FTL, Will returned to the upper deck and stood behind Shansa as she prepared for deceleration.

"Bringing us out... now."

Shansa sat comfortably in the pilot's seat as she controlled the ship with unflinching grace. Will leaned down to get a better view out the forward viewport. Dead ahead of them the behemoth fuel station floated along with nearly a dozen ships attached at various points like slick, metallic remora fish suctioned to the belly of a whale. Shansa tapped a few buttons on the comm panel and cleared her throat as she waited for a soft ping to indicate the connected channel.

"This is  _ISV Trueshot_ , requesting permission to dock for refueling," Shansa declared calmly.

A few seconds later the voice of a turian replied.  _"Request received and accepted. Proceed to dock at bay 16."_

"Proceeding to bay 16," Shansa repeated. "Thank you."

The  _Trueshot_  arced into a turn that would bring them in line with their assignment. Shansa's eyes darted between a pair of monitors as she controlled their smooth approach into the docking armatures of the station. Will looked back to one of the crew stations on the port side of the operations center where Fynnis sat tapping away. Kay and Vayren stood behind him watching in silent approval.

"Any Blue Suns silhouettes?" Will asked.

"Not one," Fynnis answered slowly.

"We're docked," Shansa announced.

Kay yawned and gave her a thumbs up. "Great. Prep the 'mechanical failure.'"

"Already done," Shansa said with a nervous smile.

Together they waited patiently as the depot made contact with the ship and began refueling, a process that would normally take between thirty minutes and an hour. After ten minutes, however, Kay crossed her arms and gave Shansa the signal to proceed. The pilot reached for her prepared actions on the flight control system. She tapped through the multitude of warning dialogues that appeared before finally executing their plan. The ship shook as two of the recycled air tanks on the starboard side of the ship violently vented their contents into the vacuum of space.

"Think that was convincing enough?" Shansa asked hopefully.

"Scared me," Fynnis replied. "And I knew it was coming."

She laughed nervously. "Alright, everyone quiet. Ahem." Shansa opened a comm channel to the station and put on the most startled tone she could. "Station control! This is  _ISV Trueshot_ , we have suffered a catastrophic system failure in one of our life support systems!"

" _Affirmative,"_  a voice responded immediately.  _"We saw it from here. Do you require emergency aid?"_

"Negative, negative," Shansa replied. "The failure was isolated to the main system. It looks like our backups are holding at acceptable levels."

" _Understood."_

Shansa bit her lip and took a deep breath. "Requesting permission to remain docked while our engineer investigates the failure."

The controller waited a second longer before responding with clear reluctance.  _"Granted,_ Trueshot.  _Keep us updated on your progress. If it helps, our scanners were clear of debris in collision range."_

"I'll pass that along," Shansa replied. "Thank you for your assistance, control. I'll report when we determine whether or not the failure was internal or external."

She reached for the comm panel and terminated the signal before spinning in her chair to face the others with nervously clenched teeth.

"Well?"

Kay reached forward and gave her a smack on the shoulder. "Sounded convincing to me."

Vayren nodded in agreement. "Quite. Now, Fynnis and I need to work on getting into their network."

Shansa spun back to her controls. "And in a little over two hours I'll send our update requesting permission to fully dock for power, air and water."

"Let's wait a bit longer," Vayren suggested. "They must be convinced that the problem is severe and that spaceflight is too risky for us to undertake."

"Okay... six hours?" Shansa asked.

"Sounds good," Will said. "But send them one or two bullshit updates before then. Ask Eleena for some technical terms to make it sound legitimate." He turned and walked back toward one of the crew stations. "I'll get on the scanners and watch the arriving ships."

Vayren motioned to Fynnis and the two returned to another crew station to begin working their way into the fuel depot's internal network. Kay furrowed her brow and looked around the operations center.

"What about me and rest of the crew?" She asked.

Fynnis looked back over his shoulder and laughed. "You all get the hard job: sit and wait."


	26. Chapter 26

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 26**

_**ISV Trueshot, Fuel Depot 3, Sahrabarik System** _

Kallux ran a dirtied rag down the length of his cannon's barrel. At long last the weapon was nearly cleaned of the grime that it had accumulated from the past few weeks. The krogan lifted the heavy piece of metal and slid it into place in the body of the gun itself, giving it a tight twist to lock it into place with a satisfying clunk.

"There we are," he muttered to himself.

He positioned the cannon at the center of his workbench and reached for the final component yet to be reattached: the heavy grip that protruded from the top. As his leathery fingers wrapped around the handle a door opened behind him. Kallux looked over his shoulder with one eye to see Will stepping through the door and into the cargo bay while stretching his arms and letting out a long yawn. They shared a brief nod as Will walked to his locker to access his armor.

"You slept much recently?" Will asked.

"A few hours the other night," Kallux answered.

"You should get more," Will chastised. "I don't need you getting clumsy because you're not rested."

The krogan grunted. "I don't need you to tell me what I need," he replied calmly. "I've been alive a lot longer than you will live to be, so I'll trust my own judgment on this."

Will grabbed the first piece of his hardsuit and began to clasp it onto his body. "Alright, fine. Just expressing a concern."

"No need," Kallux replied. "Krogan don't need nearly as much food, water or rest to stay effective in combat as you humans do."

Will didn't have any grounds to object on. For better or for worse, Kallux was not someone to let himself be pushed around. Especially when he thought he was right.

"Jeeze, sorry," Will muttered as he slid on his boots.

The krogan shook his head. "No, no... I should apologize. I'm just a bit on edge. The reports have been coming in and they're not good."

Will frowned and looked over to him. "That bad?"

"Yes. Between abandonment and raw casualties... the RMC is a fraction of what it was just a week ago."

Will turned and shook his head. "How many people are you missing?"

Kallux sighed and picked up the grip of his cannon. He brought it to place on the top of the weapon and grabbed a set of tools to lock it in.

"Out of the roughly three hundred combat ready we had, I doubt we have any more than seventy-five now. Two of our three outposts were completely wiped out and people have been jumping off the sinking ship by the dozens," he replied.

Will turned back to the locker to continue with his arm. "Damn. How did they do this much damage?"

"They hit us without warning and killed indiscriminately," Kallux answered.

"How could the Blue Suns of all people do this?" Will asked to no one in particular. "They're the most level-headed of the big three. The Blood Pack and Eclipse have always been the ruthless and reckless ones."

Kallux grunted bitterly. "Change in leadership is a change in tactics for them," he answered. "Our intel reported that Janson and several other like-minded folks been climbing up the ladder quickly. I wouldn't be surprised if they control their entire operation on Omega now. And an organization only two decades old is no slave to tradition. They'll do what makes them money."

Will clasped on the last piece of his armor and sighed sarcastically. "I miss the old days. When gangs had some integrity, you know?"

The krogan grinned. "Yeah. That was back when the krogan were the darlings of the galaxy, right? Guardians of peace and prosperity. The apple of the Council's eye."

They shared a small laugh before silence fell between. Will cleared his throat and grabbed his rifle from the rack as he was reminded of why he and Kallux had been such good friends. He turned for the door and slid the gun onto his back.

"I'm heading up. I'll keep you posted on anything new," he said.

Kallux nodded and reached for his next item of business: one of his pistols. "I'll be here."

Will passed through the door and into the main hallway where he turned and headed for the stairwell at the stern of the ship. He hurried up to the operations deck where he found it empty, as he had hoped. He had woken up early in an attempt to get some work done in the peace and quiet. Will came to a stop at the conference table at the center of the room and opened up two reports. One was that of the automatic scanner that Fynnis had setup to analyze all incoming ships and check for the silhouettes of the Blue Suns vessels they were looking for. The second was enabled by Vayren's hack into the fuel depot's network, which allowed him to parse through the list of currently docked ships and compare it to the names of those same Blue Suns ships. Had either found a match, the entire crew would have been alerted by a high priority message. Obviously, no results had been found, but Will was curious to see what was in the logs. After reading through them he leaned forward and placed his palms on the table. He stared ahead and breathed slowly, suddenly doubting if this plan was in any way a good idea. A few minutes later a door opened somewhere behind him near the rear of the ship. He glanced over his shoulder with a curious eye to see the door to Kay's quarters open and T'Lees standing just over the threshold, looking back into the room.

"I am aware you have a shower in your private refresher," the asari said with a small laugh. "But you do not have another set of my clothes."

Will raised his brows and turned to lean back against the table as he listened.

"Okay, okay, scurry away. But we'll see how fast you come sneaking back tomorrow night," Kay's voice replied from just inside the door and out of sight.

T'Lees turned her head mischievously. "Tomorrow? Who said anything about  _tomorrow?_ "

Having not been spotted yet, Will smirked and cleared his throat. T'Lees gasped and spun to face him as Kay peered through the door.

"Hah! So much for sneaking out," Kay said with a laugh. "Night, Blue. See ya  _tomorrow._ "

She gave Will a wink and ducked back into her quarters, shutting the door behind her. T'Lees looked to the closed door and then back to Will before letting out a nervous chortle.

"Unless you say otherwise, my lips are sealed," Will informed her, breaking the silence.

The asari placed her palm over her eyes and shook her head. "Thank you, William. I am glad you can appreciate the desire for discretion. Let us hope Kay does as well," she chuckled.

She let her hand drop and gave him a quick bow before gliding on elegant footsteps toward and down the stairs.

* * *

It wasn't long before Vayren found his way up to operations center and joined Will in monitoring the arriving and departing ships. Shansa and Eleena appeared next, and together began creating a false repair report to feed to the fuel station. The station's manager had agreed to allow the  _Trueshot_  to stay docked for another twelve hours, after which time the crew had decided they may have to leave before attracting suspicion. Will and Eleena shared a short, pleasant talk before the engineer headed back down to the lower deck to begin work on the port battery. A lull fell over those remaining as they simply sat and waited. After nearly half an hour, the door of the XO's chambers opened and Fynnis came marching out.

"Good morning," he greeted.

Will gave him a quick nod. "And to you," he replied. "Ever played the waiting game? Grab a chair and I'll deal you a hand."

The turian chuckled. "I'll pass. Vayren and I need to talk."

"Do we?" The Spectre asked from the other side of the room.

Fynnis came to a stop in front of Vayren and crossed his arms. Shansa peered over her shoulder from the cockpit and watched curiously.

"Yeah, we do. First, why don't you tell everyone your plan for when a Blue Suns ship appears and docks?"

The salarian narrowed his eyes. "Shansa and Hume already know what our course of action will be. I sneak off of our ship, through the fuel depot and onto the Blue Suns vessel."

"Something wrong with that plan?" Shansa asked.

Fynnis shook his head. "Nothing  _wrong._  It's just being hamstrung by the fact that Vayren doesn't want help."

"That is completely false," Vayren objected. "I said that I did not want you using one of my clocking devices and accompanying me, not that I did not want assistance from you or the rest of the crew."

"Sneaking onto an enemy ship alone is a terrible idea," the turian argued. "And you know it. What if you need and extra set of hands?"

"I've done this kind of infiltration dozens of times on my own," the Spectre informed him.

Fynnis raised a finger in objection. "I'm not saying you can't do it alone. I'm just saying it would be better if I came with you."

Vayren grumbled. "Perhaps. But you aren't fully trained with these devices."

The turian planted his hands on his hips and glanced to the side. "Heh. Well, actually, that's not entirely true. It's just been a while since I've used one."

Shansa quirked a brow. Will cleared his throat to interject and stepped forward to lean against the table.

"Vayren, he's got a point. I think having a partner with you could be beneificial," he said.

Fynnis raised his hands. "Thank you! Someone in charge who can think rationally."

The salarian gave Fynnis a quick once-over and sighed defeatedly. "Yes, yes. I suppose it could prove useful to have backup. Follow me, we need to get one of my cloaking devices integrated into your armor."

The turian's mandibles flared in satisfaction. "Trust me, you'll be glad I came along."

Vayren smirked. "I hope so. You've proven adequately competent over the past few weeks."

"Ya hear that, everyone? 'Adequately competent.'" Fynnis sighed happily. "If my father could see me now I would rub his face in those words."

The salarian nodded toward the stairs. "Come then, let's get down to the armory."

As they disappeared down the stairwell, Shansa peered over to Will.

"Fynnis  _has_ been doing some great work," she noted.

Will looked back to her and nodded. "He has. He's surprisingly responsible and capable when he wants to be. Makes me wonder how much he's been babysitting Kay over the past year or so."

Shansa giggled softly. "Kay is a bit of a trip, isn't she?"

"God, she really took that troublemaker attitude she had when we were kids and ran with it," he laughed. "Sometimes I'm amazed she's lasted so long out here."

"As long as she's got people to keep her in check, I think she'll be fine," Shansa answered with a smile. "You're right though. Remember how she'd always talk about taking off from Arvuna the second she turned eighteen?"

Will smiled and nodded. "Yep. So much for that, huh?"

Shansa laughed and rolled her eyes. "She didn't have a single credit to her name! And when she asked our parents for enough to get a ticket off the moon... I don't think I've ever seen my mother more furious."

"Seems a little strange coming from your parents. They made their living flying all around the galaxy," Will pointed out.

"Yeah, but they weren't about to let Kay of all people just up and leave. She'd have ended up dead or a kingpin by the end of the year!"

Will shook his head and let out a sad sigh. "I miss Arvuna sometimes. Life was fucking easy then."

Shansa snorted and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because it was boring and predictable." She frowned and looked to the floor. "I love being out here with you. Seeing the galaxy. Going to the places I read about as a kid. I just wish it hadn't taken such a turn of events to get us here."

He nodded in consideration. "Look at it this way: we had no choice over what happened to our colony. It's sad, but it's true. But we had a choice over everything that came after that. We could have just asked Colonial Services to relocate us, but instead we made something good out of a tragedy."

She glanced back up to him and smiled. "Have I told you recently how happy I am to have you in my life again?"

"I feel the same way, Shan."

Behind them a door slid open, prefacing a long, audible yawn. Will and Shansa looked back to see Kay groggily step out of her quarters and glance back to them.

"Mornin'," she mumbled.

"Hey, Kay," Shansa said with smile.

Kay groaned and fluttered her eyes as she tried to keep them open. "No luck on the scans?"

Will shook his head. "Nope."

"Mmm. Damn." She let out another cartoonish yawn.

"Tired?" Will asked, hiding his knowing smile.

Kay gave him a sideways glance, the corner of her mouth curling into a grin. "Little bit," she replied.

"Go get some breakfast!" Shansa suggested. "I'm sure T'Lees has cooked something up. She's a  _really_  good cook."

Kay continued to grin as she turned toward the stairs. "That so? She's got all kinds of talents, it seems."

Will snorted and looked back to the monitor in front of him. Two new incoming vessels. He opened up the profile on the first and flipped through the data. Just a long-range hauler, probably headed out to one of the satellite systems. Will closed the profile and switched to the second.

His eyes widened. "Shansa..."

The pilot was tapped away at her console. "Hmm?"

"We've got something," Will muttered. "One of the ships on the list!"

Shansa peered over the back of her chair. "What? Really?" She jumped up and ran to his side.

They locked eyes and shared an excited smile before Will turned back to the console and activated the ship-wide comms.

"This is Will! Everyone get to the operations center. We've got our target."

* * *

Vayren and Fynnis were nothing more than a pair of wisps in the dim light of the  _Trueshot_  airlock. The salarian had doubled checked his systems multiple times before offering to do the same for Fynnis, only to find that the turian had all of his power settings at near-perfect levels. Now, Vayren and Fynnis stood at the door cloaked by their stealth generators, waiting patiently for the signal to move. The rest of the crew had congregated in the operations center to monitor the mission while the two infiltrator had prepared for their real action. Finally, Will's voice crackled in their helmets.

" _Looks like the target is in bay 10."_

"Affirmative, bay 10," Vayren repeated. "Moving out."

He reached forward and opened the airlock, allowing him and Fynnis to dart through the doorway and into the docking armature's airlock. Having not prepped both sides for transmission, air hissed through the door as the pressure swiftly normalized. Vayren activated his omnitool and loaded into the airlock's control panel. He cut off the automated reporting system and opened the inner door with no prompt for any decontamination scrubbing. The cramped hallway beyond the airlock was dark and clearly only designed to be used in case of emergencies. A few red lights spotted the walls and ceiling of the interior, but they were too dim to have been intended for visibility's sake. Fynnis shut the airlock door behind them.

"Door closed," he reported. "I hope you know where we're going because I don't have a fucking clue."

Vayren held back a smirk. "I thought we might try going in the only direction possible."

"Not a bad idea," Fynnis said agreeably.

"That, and we could perhaps look at the station's schematics we uncovered," Vayren jested.

The salarian had given their HUDs a special program that would out outline and shade one another when looking through their visors. Had they been operating on their normal vision alone, they would have had no chance at keeping track of one another outside of the IFF tags that hung over their heads. Vayren set off down the narrow hallway and activated his omnitool to overlay the schematics on their HUD map before reaching for the weapon on his back. His normal outfit of a sniper rifle would do them no good on this mission, so he had opted for one of his rarely used backups: a Devlon Firestorm shotgun. Fynnis had decided to take his rifle, as he was quite comfortable with the weapon.

"So, forward about thirty meters, then left?" Fynnis inquired.

Vayren's eyes shifted to the map overlay at the corner of his visor. "That looks about right. Are you monitoring-"

"The station's network? Yeah, already on it," the turian replied coolly. "Nothing out of the ordinary yet. If they've detected us, they definitely haven't raised any alarms."

The Spectre was quite pleased to hear that Fynnis had taken initiative. Vayren slowed the two of them by lifting his hand as they approached the end of the passage way. They had reached a simple T-intersection, with the hallway branching off to both the left and right. A light appeared on the wall in front of him. He spun back to look at Fynnis and saw the turian's flashlight shining from his wrist. Before he could open his mouth to question the action, Fynnis pointed to the wall. Vayren followed the turian's direction and glanced back toward the intersection where painted on the wall was the number "16."

"That'll make things easy," Fynnis commented.

Vayren gripped his shotgun. "Quite. But in which direction is bay 10?"

The turian deactivated the flashlight and pointed to their right. "This way. If I'm at the center of the station, and the numbers are ascending from left to right, clockwise..."

The salarian nodded. "That would be my assumption as well."

Together they set off down the right passageway with Vayren still in front and Fynnis close behind. As they approached the next intersection, Fynnis activated his light once again and searched the wall for a marker. Vayren nodded to himself as they found the "15" painted on the wall in the same place that they had found their "16." They were headed in the right direction.

" _How's it going in there?"_

Vayren could easily spot the anxiousness in Will's voice. Humans were far too easy to read.

"We're in route to their docking point," the Spectre replied. "Should be there in just a few minutes. Anything new to report on your end?"

" _Negative. Still monitoring what we can, but without you or Fynnis here that's not much."_

"Fynnis is keeping a close eye on things," Vayren assured him.

Will sighed heavily.  _"Okay. Will, out."_

"He's a bit of a worrier, isn't he?" Fynnis mused.

Vayren remained locked on the tunnel as they continued onward. "He cares. He is always heavily invested in his mission." He smirked to himself. "Whether that is a benefit or detriment is hard to say."

As Vayren predicted, it took only a few minutes for them to close the gap between their position and the docking bay 10. They turned into the passage that was extended out from the station and made their way to the end where a hard left turn came to a stop at airlock doors just like those they had passed through when disembarking from the  _Trueshot._  As Vayren reached for the door panel, Fynnis grabbed his arm to stop him.

"Hold on," the turian objected. "The armature was only docked with the  _Trueshot_ because we requested it for the emergency, remember?"

Vayren nodded, seeing the implication. "You're right. But if this is a routine fuel stop for the Blue Suns..."

He activated his omnitool and began tapping through the pre-established network paths that he and Fynnis had forged through the station's security system. They had identified that a single security camera was placed at each docking point to monitor the ships at the depot. He found the vid feed labeled "SecF_1_010" and tapped into it, giving him a view of what he assumed was their ship: an old frigate of batarian make, most likely retired military, with a Blue Suns emblem printed on the port bow along with the name  _Maria._ Clearly the ship had been renamed since its earlier days, Vayren joked to himself.

"Good thinking," Vayren commended. "The docking armature is not connected."

Fynnis sighed. "Damn it. What's our plan, then? We can't just send the docking arm over.  _Someone_  is going to notice that."

"You're right," the salarian affirmed. "So we won't be doing it."

He backed out of the feed and opened one of his more module hacking programs: the vid disruptor.

"I'll have the camera feed the station static for a few seconds. Hopefully it will be short enough as to not arouse suspicion," Vayren informed Fynnis.

"Okay... that doesn't help us get to the ship, though," Fynnis reminded him.

"No. It doesn't," Vayren agreed while opening the inner airlock door. "Which is why we'll have to jump."

The turian blinked. "Excuse me?"

"It's only a few meters away and the ship's airlock is about thirty degrees off to the right. We can vent the station's airlock and push off to traverse the distance rather easily."

"That... sounds like a completely insane idea," Fynnis said bluntly.

"Do you have a better one?" Vayren inquired.

The turian sighed. "No, I'm just a little bitter that I didn't come up with it."

Together they stepped into the chamber and closed the inner airlock door behind them. Vayren hooked into the control panel and once again disabled all the reporting before looking down to his omnitool and activating his hack to the station's security camera. After stowing his shotgun, Vayren reached up and grabbed onto a pipe that lined the ceiling, which Fynnis quickly mimicked.

"Ready?" The salarian asked.

Fynnis nodded. "Do it."

With a tap of Vayren's finger the outer airlock door began to slide open, immediately causing the air to vent into the vacuum. They held tight as the airlock opened to the inky black expanse of space, interrupted only by stars and the hull of the ship dead ahead. The air drained quickly, allowing Vayren to step forward and through the open airlock door. A bizarre sensation passed through his body as he exited the chamber and the station's mass effect driven artificial gravity. He grabbed onto the lip of the armature and held tight as Fynnis followed out after him. Vayren reached up and closed the airlock via the outward facing control panel and set himself in a couching position perpendicular to the docking armature and the ship's hull a few meters away.

"Uh, Vayren, what happens if someone on the Blue Suns ship is standing in their airlock?" Fynnis asked half-jokingly.

Vayren took a deep breath. "For our sake, let's hope they aren't holding onto something."

With that, the salarian straightened his legs and pushed off from the station. He extended his arms toward the hull of the ship as it rapidly approached his outstretched hands. The security camera should be recovering now, he thought to himself. Luckily, he was nothing more than a tiny ripple in the blackness, if not purely invisible to the camera. His hands connected with the hull and slowed his movement to a stop. He reached for a small outcropping, perhaps the hatch to a maintenance panel of some kind, and used it to hold his position. He glanced up to see the shape of Fynnis floating toward him through his HUD. The turian impacted the hull of the ship just behind him, but quickly found that his hands found no purchase as Vayren had. The Spectre noticed the danger as Fynnis frantically searched for a handhold and reached his hand back toward the turian.

"Here!"

Fynnis looked down the hull to Vayren and reached desperately for his hand. Their fingers locked and both let out a sigh of relief. After feeling that Fynnis was secure, Vayren immediately looked back toward the stern of the vessel.

"Fynnis, the outer airlock is about a meter away from me. Can you reach it if I hold us in place?"

"Well it's either that or hold onto the side of the ship until it flies off," Fynnis reminded him.

Vayren gripped his handhold and rotated his body to spin Fynnis onto his opposite side near the airlock door. The turian wasted no time in reaching to the access panel beside the door and tapping what he believed would open the hatch.

"Hold on," he advised.

With another command the door slid apart and sent air evacuating into space. Fynnis was able to hold onto the threshold of the door after it had opened and glanced back to Vayren with a small laugh.

"Think that confused someone?"

"Maybe," Vayren said quietly. "At the very least some kind of alert must have been sent to the engineer. Let's get inside."

Fynnis grunted and pulled the two of them toward the airlock, allowing them both to pass through the open hatch and tumble to the floor from the artificial gravity on the ship. Vayren righted himself and activated his omnitool to begin hacking into the decontamination chamber's control panel on the wall. He recognized the architecture for the local firmware and navigated to where the logs were kept. As he suspected, an alert had been sent out less than a minute earlier warning of a decompression of the chamber and loss of atmosphere.

"They know of the decompression," he warned. "I'm tracing the report to their comm system."

Fynnis was working on his own omnitool. "My suit's power reserves are starting to complain. My cloaking device isn't going to hold much longer."

Vayren cursed under his breath. He had modified his own hardsuit long ago to utilize an aftermarket generator and reserve system, but Fynnis obviously had not. The turian had no need to, after all.

"Alright, alright, I'm in their comm network," Vayren said. "Patching it through to our system."

" _Fucking hell. Get it sorted, Callisus."_

Vayren listened intently. The voice sounded commanding, perhaps the captain of the vessel or a ranking officer. The actions he and Fynnis would take were entirely dependent on how they reacted to the airlock mysteriously opening.

" _I'm headed down there now, sir,"_ a turian responded.

" _Get it done fast,"_  the commander ordered.  _"We're nearly done here and we're running goddamn late for this delivery."_

Vayren and Fynnis shared a worried look. The engineer coming to investigate could easily identify the energy signatures that Fynnis and Vayren's suits were giving off. Assuming, of course, he activated any scanning equipment while investigating the airlock.

" _The outer airlock door is open,"_  the engineer reported.  _"Sealing and re-pressurizing the chamber."_

The outer door slid shut. The chamber would be refilled with air soon.

" _The airlock is open? How the hell-"_

" _Tech malfunction most likely,"_ the turian sighed.

Vayren recognized the irritation in his voice.

" _This entire system needs replacing, captain. I've said this a dozen times now, but-"_

" _I get it! Fuck. I can't put in a requisition order for every goddamn thing you think we need to replace. If I did we'd have swapped out everything but the hull of the ship by this point."_

Vayren motioned to Fynnis and pointed to the wall of the chamber. The turian nodded and pressed himself flush with the wall as Vayren did the same on the opposite side. A few seconds later the inner airlock door hissed and slid apart to allow a turian in Blue Suns armor to come walking in with his omnitool raised. Vayren held his breath as the engineer came to a stop briefly before stepping up to the chamber's control panel.

" _I'm putting an override on the airlock. It'll ignore all signals to open until I remove it,"_  he said.

" _Fine, good. Get the root of the problem sorted out once we've landed on Nelgosa,"_  the captain grumbled.

" _Aye, sir."_

The turian deactivated his omnitool. Hoping that Fynnis was staying alert, Vayren darted through the inner airlock door and into a hallway of the ship. He pressed himself against a wall and looked to his left to see Fynnis jump through the door and take up position at his side. A few seconds later the engineer sauntered out of the chamber and closed the airlock behind him before turning and walking down the hall toward the stern of the ship. Vayren muted the hacked comm channel and glanced over to Fynnis.

"He mentioned Nelgosa. One of the habitable moons of Nearog," the turian noted.

Vayren nodded. "And they mentioned they are nearly done refueling. Quick. Let's follow the engineer."

The Spectre turned and began walking after the turian engineer, stepping as softly as possible. At the end of the hall the engineer stepped through an opening door as he reached up and removed his helmet. Vayren hurried after him and came to a stop beside the door as it shut. Painted on the floor was the word "Engineering." Precisely what he had expected.

"There is probably an access point into their network here," Vayren commented.

Fynnis nodded. "Waiting on you."

Vayren tapped the manual control panel at the center of the door and sent it sliding open, allowing him to round the corner and step inside. The turian engineer spun on his heel and dropped his helmet in surprise at the sight of the door opening with no one apparently there to issue the order.

"What the fuck..."

Vayren darted forward and around the turian's back to deliver a sharp kick to the back of his knee. The engineer yelped and dropped to the ground, catching himself on his hands just before Vayren straddled his back and wrapped an arm around his neck to pull him into a stranglehold. Fynnis entered the room and shut the door behind him as the engineer struggled against his invisible foe. Vayren had the clear advantage, however, and continued to choke the turian until he lost consciousness and slumped forward onto the ground.

"Lock down the door," Vayren ordered as he stood up.

Fynnis turned back to the door and enabled the lock as Vayren spun and did a quick visual sweep of the room. The FTL core was at the back center of the room, surrounded by walls of access pipes and wiring that undoubtedly fed to the ship's thrusters. However, on the forward-end of the room was a wall of networking equipment. He activated his omnitool and did yet another scan, this one looking for active network activity. The wall was alive, but everywhere else seemed quite dead.

"I see no security devices, as expected," Vayren said to himself. "Let's get to work."

Vayren deactivated his cloaking device, allowing his suit to chime once happily as his power reserves began to recharge.

Fynnis did the same and chuckled nervously. "Only had about two minutes left in my power cells."

The Spectre walked toward the wall of computer equipment and glanced back to see Fynnis kneel beside the unconscious engineer. The turian glanced up and motioned toward the Blue Suns member.

"I'll get what I can off of his omnitool," he said.

Vayren nodded. "Good idea."

He was becoming more and more impressed with Fynnis and his professionalism on this mission. Something he had not expected from his normal sarcastic and often apathetic attitude. Vayren activated his omnitool and jumped into the first network node he could find. A local network for the ship. Power management, it would seem.

"This architecture is ancient," Vayren muttered. "Damn it. This may take a little while."

" _Crew, prepare for departure."_

The captain's voice blasted from a speaker somewhere in the engineering compartment. Vayren cursed under his breath. They needed more time.

"Fuck. That's not good," Fynnis remarked. "Think we can just tell them to hold on for a few minutes?"

"Somehow I doubt they would oblige," Vayren muttered, deep in concentration.

Fynnis stood and crossed the room to the FTL core. "Okay, no problem. We can just disable a few things down here and they'll be dead in the water."

"No!" Vayren objected immediately. "If something malfunctions, who do you think they will call to fix it?"

The two of them glanced to the unconscious engineer laying on the floor.

"And when he doesn't answer, things will go badly for us," Vayren continued. "We may be able to take a few of them, but we have no idea how many people are on this crew."

"And what happens if someone just happens to wander down here? Or if this guy's buddy calls him because he wants to play some cards?" Fynnis argued. "We have to do something or we'll be stuck on this damned ship until someone stumbles upon us!"

The Spectre weight their options silently. Nether was ideal, but he did not want to be discovered in the middle of an FTL jump, far out of communications with Hume and the rest of the crew.

Vayren nodded slowly. "Yes, yes you're right. Shut something down."

The salarian turned back to the network interface and began furiously scanning through the code structure to get a better feel for it.

"I think I can cut all the lights," Fynnis suggested.

Vayren shook his head in frustration. "Do it."

A few seconds later: darkness. Vayren unmuted the ship's comm channel they had tapped into as he continued to work by the light of his omnitool.

" _What in the hell!"_  The captain shouted.  _"Callisus, report!"_

"Well, that's all I've got for now," Fynnis sighed.

"They are going to investigate," Vayren reminded him.

"Probably. Let me worry about that. You should shut up and keep working."

The Spectre would have been angry at the order, but it was entirely justified. He had made it from the power management network into the the hub that brought all the shipboard networks together. However, this second layer had far better firewalls than the first.

" _God damn it, I'm not getting anything. Someone go find him!"_

"I've located the external communications network port," Vayren informed him. "Just another minute or so and I should have what we need."

"Good. Because it sounds like we'll have company soon."

"I heard."

Fynnis drew his rifle and took cover behind a desk at the back of the room.

" _Heading down to the engineering compartment,"_  someone new said.  _"Pinkell, check the cargo bay."_

With Fynnis and Vayren remaining silently vigilant he room buzzed with the ambient hum of the FTL drive and active hardware scattered on the walls and ceiling.

"I've got it!" Vayren shouted. "I'm into their galactic network! Grabbing everything I can and placing a backdoor so we can get in from anywhere."

The door buzzed angrily. Someone was trying to get in.

" _The door's locked. Hmm."_

The door pinged as the lock was presented with the proper security clearance. Fynnis aimed down his sights as a light burst through the opening door.

" _What the fuck!?"_

Fynnis pulled the trigger and opened fire on source of the light standing in the door. Just as quickly as it had appeared the light disappeared as whoever held it ducked back into the hallway, leaving the engineer compartment to flash in illumation from each shot fired.

" _Hostile in engineering!"_  A voice shouted on the enemy's comms.  _"Some of the cargo must have escaped!"_

Vayren finished his work and backed out as fast and safely as possible, doing his best to leave no trace of his presence.

"We're gonna have a fight here!" Fynnis yelled.

The Spectre shifted instantly into his combat stance as he dropped to his knee and grabbed his shotgun from the holster on his back. As the weapon extended he raised it and scurried toward the doorway. The captain's voice erupted from the comm system.

" _Damn it! We're casting off! I don't want anyone on this station discovering the cargo. Everyone get to the armory so we can sweep and clear!"_

Vayren could see through the open door that the light was still shining in the hallway beyond. Whoever had stumbled upon them was still present. He readied his shotgun and strafed sideways through the door. The second he saw the humanoid shape standing on the other side, he fired. Three shotgun blasts in short succession dropped the target and left the light to illuminate a slowly growing pool of blood on the floor. Vayren hurried back into the engineering compartment and activated is helmet's thermographic vision through his omnitool. If there was going to be a fight, he at least wanted to be able to  _see_ for it. He closed the door behind him and hurried to where Fynnis was holding his position.

"Fynnis, we can't let them hit FTL. Kill the core!"

The turian stood from his cover and ran to the FTL core where he began working frantically to disable any and all vital functionality. Vayren activated his external comm link.

"Hume! We've got a situation here!"

" _Listening!"_  He replied.

Vayren turned back to watch the doorway with his shotgun at the ready. "They're pulling away from the station! We're shutting down their FTL drive so they can run, but won't get away."

" _Understood! Shansa, get us moving, now!"_

"They're looking for us," Vayren continued flatly. "I will keep you informed." He paused. "And... monitor our bio-levels. Just in case."

"How are they going to help us by watching our bio-levels?" Fynnis asked as he hastily continued his work.

Vayren took a deep breath. "They won't. But if we are killed, they should probably be aware of it."


	27. Chapter 27

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 27**

_**ISV Trueshot, Fuel Depot 3, Sahrabarik System** _

"I've got it on scope!" Ralliston shouted from his crew station. "Batarian frigate pulling away from the station now. Marking the target."

"I see it," Shansa responded. "Station control, I say again: we need to depart immediately."

Will stood behind her with his hand gripping the top of her seat. The ship carrying Vayren and Fynnis was rocketing away from the fuel depot while they remained tethered by both the fuel and life support systems.

" _This is station control... is the situation under control on your ship?"_  The officer asked. " _Last report you said there was still work to be done fixing-"_

"Yes, we're ready to leave," Shansa interrupted, trying to remain calm. "Please retract the docking armatures."

There was a short pause.

" _Okay, then. Your payment is in order, releasing the mass effect locks now."_

Shansa glanced over to a status panel to her left and tapped her foot impatiently. "Come on, come on..."

One indicator turned from green to red. Will looked over his shoulder to see Ralliston still working at his station in the operations center while Kay stood beside him pointing to various areas of the screen. His alert across the ship's comm had gone out over a minute ago, but Eleena, Kallux and T'Lees were still somewhere on the lower deck. He clenched his jaw and turned back to look out the forward viewport. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the second green indicator turn red.

"Here we go!" Shansa shouted to everyone.

The maneuvering thrusters on the front of the ship ignited and pushed them back from the berth at a noticeably faster rate than normal. Once at safe distance, Shansa spun the ship and pushed it into full thrust toward the moving waypoint on her navigation panel. The ship that was carrying Vayren and Fynnis had over a minute of a head start and appeared to have taken on a rather sporadic flight path.

Shansa's hands glided smoothly over the control panels. "Okay, we're looking good.  _Trueshot_  is gaining fast, so as long as Vayren and Fynnis can keep their FTL core disabled we should be able to catch them."

Kay hurried over and slid into the copilot's seat. "Fynnis should be able to keep a lock on them from here on out," she said. "What do you need help with?"

Shansa shook her head. "Nothing yet."

Behind them, Kallux, T'Lees and Eleena stepped onto the upper deck from the stairs and approached the others near the bow, watching silently.

"Looks like they're changing their vector again," Ralliston called from navigation crew station. "They must know we're following them."

"Where are they headed?" Shansa called in return.

Ralliston zoomed out on his navigation chart. "There's an asteroid field rather close by and they're set to fly right into it. Might be trying to lose us in there."

Kay looked back to the others. "Don't worry. The tracking scanners on the  _Trueshot_  are military grade."

"I'm more concerned about the asteroids than losing contact with them," Eleena commented. "I'd push as much barrier power to the bow of the ship as possible."

"On it," Kay replied, turning back to her controls.

Will looked down to the navigation panel just beside Shansa. "How far out are we?"

"Only a few thousand kilometers," Shansa replied. "But we'll both have to slow down to a crawl in that asteroid field."

"Speaking of which, we're about thirty seconds to the edge of it," Ralliston informed her. "I'd start decelerating pretty soon!"

Kay reached over and activated one of the cockpit's center displays to bring up a holographic grid of the region. A few markers popped up, two of them moving toward a cluster that could only be the asteroid field. The marker for the first ship was just reaching the perimeter of the field and had slowed drastically at the last second.

"Hitting the asteroid field in ten seconds," Shansa said. "Never flown through one of these this fast before..."

Kallux smirked and crossed his arms. "You didn't need to tell us that."

T'Lees lifted a finger to her lips in contemplation. "Forgive me if I am overlooking something obvious, but how exactly are we planning on stopping their ship once we have caught up to them?"

The group shared a few quick looks.

Will looked ahead as the first asteroid flew past the forward viewport. "One step at a time, Fayneer. First we need to survive this field."

* * *

"Let's get moving," Vayren ordered.

"What? Why would we want to move?" Fynnis asked.

The salarian readied his shotgun and walked toward the door. "They have the advantage as long as they know where we are. We're inclosed in a small room with a single entrance on a ship that may or may not be able to vent atmosphere on a compartmental basis."

Fynnis sighed and lifted his rifle. "Okay, then where are we going?"

"We don't need to go anywhere in particular," Vayren replied. "We just need to hold out long enough for the others to catch up."

"So they can do what?" The turian asked. "Politely ask the Blue Suns to stop and let us leave?"

The Spectre raised a hand to silence Fynnis and reached for the door. It opened to the dark hallway illuminated by only a strip of red emergency lightning on the floor. A body lay beside the doorway, still bleeding heavily from the fatal wound Vayren had inflicted. The salarian glanced to the left and right with his thermographic vision enabled and saw no movement. Their foes were most likely still regrouping in some other area of the ship. However, they needed to move quickly, as Fynnis would not have the power reserves to activate his cloaking generator again for at least ten more minutes.

"On me," Vayren said quietly.

Together they stepped out and to the left, heading back toward the airlock of the ship that they had entered through. Vayren was attempting to put together a mental layout of the ship, or at least a guess. From what they had seen before boarding, the ship was a rather large frigate and had at the very least three decks. They had entered on the middle level, and if the ship was built like most batarian vessels it would most likely conform to a standard design: the highest deck for the flight officers and operations, the middle for the crew and engineering, and the lower decks for cargo and ordinance.

"So, once again, how are we hoping to be rescued?" Fynnis inquired.

"I don't know," Vayren admitted. "Perhaps we can make our way to the cockpit and stop the ship for ourselves."

Just then, a light appeared ahead where their hallway turned right into another. Fynnis stepped back and opened the nearest door.

"Here!"

Vayren turned and stepped inside the door behind the turian. They had entered what looked like a small storage room for equipment that might be needed during an away mission. They were just a few meters away from the airlock.

"What should we do?" Fynnis asked. "Hide?"

Vayren reached down and activated his cloaking device. "Hold here."

The salarian stepped toward the door leading back into the hallway, which he had intentionally left open. Vayren leaned forward just enough to see out and toward the source of the light. With his thermal imaging he saw exactly what he had hoped for: a pair of armed men moving along down the hall, cautiously holding their aim toward the far end where the engineering compartment was located.

"Just two," Vayren whispered. "Kill them as they pass."

He slid back through the open door and held his shotgun up. Vayren reached to his omnitool and swiftly reactivated the hacked comm channel that he and Fynnis had been using to listen in on the ship's crew. No one was talking at the moment. Whether that was good or bad was yet to be determined. Fynnis knelt down and aimed his rifle at around chest-height, waiting on Vayren's command. The flashlights passed by the doorway, then suddenly snapped back to the suspiciously open door. Footsteps fell one by one as the two Blue Suns approached the door, bringing their lights to bear on the threshold. Just as they appeared and brought the lights onto Fynnis, Vayren stepped into the doorway and dropped his cloak, blasting one of the two with his shotgun at point-blank range. The man crumpled to the ground as his partner jumped back from shock and the rifle fire from Fynnis.

" _He's here!"_ The man shouted over the hacked comm system. " _There are two-"_

Before he could finish, a second shot from Vayren's gun ripped through the shielding that Fynnis had already torn down, killing the man instantly. The salarian leapt over their bodies and turned toward the direction they had come from.

"Come on!" He shouted back to Fynnis.

The turian did not need to be told twice. He ran after the Spectre with nothing but the emergency lighting to illuminate the salarian's silhouette, trusting Vayren to be able to guide him.

" _Jameson!"_  The ship's captain shouted. " _Damn it! They're on deck two! Fan out and hunt them down!"_

"We can easily take them in an equal fight," Vayren said. "Let's hope they keep coming only two at a time."

" _Captain, we have a ship on scope that just blasted away from the fuel depot… they've set a vector to intercept."_

The pilot or flight engineer, Vayren presumed.

" _Shit_ _._ _Lose them!"_

" _The FTL core is still not responding, sir. There is an asteroid field, but-"_

" _Fly through it_ _! Lose them!"_

The pilot seemed completely stunned. " _Sir, we don't have a mapping of the field! The scanners aren't calibrated for this kind of-"_

" _Just fucking do it!"_  The captain interrupted.

"Great, I guess now we've gotta hope this guy knows how to fly," Fynnis mused.

The pair slid to a stop at the next corner, allowing Vayren to peer around the corner and see an empty hallway.

"This hall must loop around to the starboard side," he noted. "But there is an elevator just ahead. We should move off this level since they know we are here."

"Fine by me," Fynnis laughed. "I'm kind of at the mercy of where you lead me."

The salarian rounded the corner and hurried a few more meters to the elevator doors. They slid open at the first request, revealing an elevator car spacious enough to transport large goods if needed. Vayren activated his light and looked at the control panel to confirm his suspicions.

"A freight elevator," he said. "It only moves between the second and third levels."

"I guess we're heading down then?" Fynnis asked.

Vayren shut the door and entered the command. "Yes."

A few seconds later the sound of a deep crunch filled the elevator car, accompanied by a shake that took Fynnis by surprise and nearly knocked him off of his feet.

"Son of a bitch!" Fynnis shouted. "Do you think that was an asteroid?"

Vayren nodded his head. "I would have to assume so. Something certainly hit the ship. Something strong enough that the inertial dampeners couldn't keep us steady. And if he really is trying to evade the  _Trueshot_  by flying through and asteroid field..."

"Perfect," Fynnis remarked with a sigh.

Vayren activated his omnitool once again and attempted to open the comm link to the rest of the crew, but was given an error message. As he suspected, they were far out of range for a point-to-point connection.

"I can't raise the others," Vayren said. "Let's hope they've got a plan. Because we won't be giving them any advice."

* * *

"Damn!" Kay exclaimed. "They clipped that one hard!"

Kallux nodded in agreement. "I can promise you they felt it, too."

Will anxiously gripped the top of the pilot's chair. "This is insane. We've only been in the field for a minute. We're both going to get crushed trying to navigate at this speed."

Shansa's hands were darting around the control panel. No one dared try to advise her. She was clearly focused in intense concentration. The  _Trueshot_  jerked to port, then course corrected a second later. According to the holographic display that Kay had set up, they had barely avoided a massive asteroid that Shansa had only just seen at the last possible moment.

"That's two near hits," Shansa said. "We can't keep this up for long."

Will took a deep breath and looked back to Eleena. The asari was staring intently at the holographic grid, but glanced over to Will as she saw him attempt to make eye contact.

"How strong is that cannon you got working?" He asked.

Eleena furrowed her brow. "It packs a decent punch, but the  _Trueshot_  wasn't built to be a powerhouse. Are you suggesting that we use it?"

Will clenched his fists. He was not about to let this ship get away with his crewmates and the data he needed to find Janson. "Do you think we can make a precise shot? Maybe take out their thrusters?"

The asari shook her head in doubt. "It's possible, but-"

The ship shook violently. Those who were not sitting nearly fell, some only saving themselves by grabbing onto whatever was within arm's reach. Dozens of warnings lit up on a panel at the center of the cockpit with a chorus of alarms to accompany them.

"Fuck!" Kay shouted as she silenced the warnings. "Something hit our starboard winglet!"

Shansa let out a deep exhale to calm herself. "Will, we can't take more than a couple hits like that!" She had clearly lost the tight grasp on her composure. "Even with VI assistance there's just too many to avoid them all."

Kay looked over her shoulder. "We need to do something here, Will!"

"We can't just shoot at them," Kallux argued. "You forgetting that Vayren and Fynnis are on board?"

Kay narrowed her eyes. "So we should just chase them until we're hit by a stray asteroid? No way. And if Vayren and Fynnis are killed by the Blue Suns, they'll pull information about  _all_ of us from their omnitools."

Will nodded once in agreement. "She's right, open fire when you can." He paused for a moment and glanced back to Eleena. "Take the shots carefully," he urged.

The asari stepped forward and placed her hand on the copilot's seat. "Kay, move."

In a rare stroke of obedience, Kay stood without question and stepped to the side so Eleena could take her spot. The asari pulled up three different monitors and looked over to Shansa.

"You ever done this before?" She asked straightly.

Shansa bit her lip and shook her head ever-so-slightly as her eyes burned a hole through the navigation panel. "Done what, executed a firing maneuver in an armed warship? What do you think?"

"Didn't think so," Eleena replied curtly as she turned back to her screens. "Okay, I'll feed you firing vectors and have the VI update them as quickly as possible. Just put us on the trajectory and I'll make the shots if we've got them, okay?"

Shansa took a deep breath. "Yeah, I can do that," she said.

Eleena's presence had clearly calmed Shansa. The rest of the crew watched in nervous silence as asteroids streaked by the viewport and the batarian ship ahead of them grew ever closer.

* * *

The doors of the elevator opened to a large, dark room once again lit by only a few red emergency lights lining the ceiling at a steady interval. Vayren scanned the room from left to right, and upon seeing no immediate hostiles, waved Fynnis forward and into the room. The ceiling was about a meter higher than the hallways on the second level, and dozens of crates and shipping containers scattered the floor of the room.

"Stay here for a moment," Vayren ordered.

The Spectre switched his optics to standard low-light vision and stowed his weapon as he looked around for what he wanted. He spotted a crate about two meters tall and nodded to himself. Good enough. Vayren stepped over to it as quietly as possible and jumped up to grab the top of the container under his fingertips before pulling himself up. He let out a small grunt and knelt on the top of the container, where he reached exactly what he had been looking for: an unimpeded view. From his position he could see that they had taken an elevator down at the bow of the ship, and that this cargo bay extended dozens of meters toward the stern. Two wide, floor-to-ceiling airlocks were located on the starboard and port sides of the room at midship for loading and unloading cargo. Everywhere between the bow and stern, however, were crates and large shipping containers stacked surprisingly neatly. Somewhere in these containers were prisoners. Sentient beings to be delivered.

"See anything?" Fynnis asked from the floor.

"Nothing threatening," Vayren responded as he dropped down to the ground.

The turian adjusted his rifle and sighed. "So much for heading up to the cockpit."

"There is another elevator at the far end of the cargo bay," Vayren informed him. "The door looks smaller, so I would imagine it is solely for personnel use."

"And a personnel elevator most likely stops on all levels," Fynnis thought aloud. "Alright, let's go."

As they began weaving into the labyrinth of cargo the comm channel they had hacked into became abuzz with activity.

" _Any luck, captain?"_  Asked the clearly stressed and distracted voice.

" _We're sweeping the second level,"_  the captain responded.

" _That ship that's tailing us has followed us into the asteroid field, sir."_

The captain spat his response angrily. " _Who the fuck is it? They must know something. Alliance operatives or Spectres trying to take down the ring. Shit, just keep moving until they take a hit or our FTL drive respondes."_

" _Aye, sir. Just to be sure, though, the team is just sweeping level two, correct?"_

" _For now."_

Vayren held his breath and hoped that the pilot was not as observant as he seemed.

" _Then… maybe you should check out the lower deck, sir. Someone just accessed the freight elevator."_

The Spectre sighed irritably. They're never dumb when one needs them to be.

" _Son of a bitch… alright, new plan,"_ the captain grumbled. " _My squad, regroup at the stern elevator. Everyone else to the bow. We'll smoke 'em out."_

"We need to find cover," Vayren advised.

Fynnis narrowed his eyes. "Hey, Vayren, they mentioned that they were transporting slaves, right?"

Vayren nodded. "Yes."

"So, they're probably down here somewhere, aren't they?"

The salarian nodded, having already had this cross his mind. "Yes. And I doubt the Blue Suns will have their survival at the top of their list of priorities."

The Spectre pulled up his omnitool and activated his bioscanner.

"Life signatures a few meters ahead," he said. "They're scattered around the back end of the room. Ten, maybe fifteen of them."

Vayren guided them toward a cluster of three or four. He and Fynnis nearly jumped in shock as lights illuminated above them. A few seconds later the pilot of the ship spoke over the Blue Suns' comm system.

" _Looks like our VI took care of the lights. Finally."_

The captain laughed wickedly. " _Good. The little rats can't hide anymore."_

Vayren looked ahead to where the life signatures were strongest. A storage crate no more than a meter tall and wide and three meters long. He snarled and motioned back toward the center of the cargo bay.

"Take up position near the middle. We can keep the Blue Suns from shooting toward their hostages if we position ourselves well enough," Vayren decided.

As they took up position behind a set of crates at the center of the room, the ship shook for a second time. This impact, however, was significantly worse than the first. Vayren and Fynnis fell to the ground and caught themselves on their hands and knees.

"Damn it. We're gonna be killed by fucking asteroids," Fynnis laughed.

" _We're taking fire!"_  The pilot shouted. " _That ship is shooting at us!"_

Vayren and Fynnis exchanged bewildered looks.

"They're  _shooting_  at us?" Fynnis repeated rhetorically.

Vayren grabbed his shotgun from the floor and looked down the sights toward the sound of elevator doors opening.

"There's not much else they can do," the salarian reminded him.

Fynnis spun to face the other direction and leveled his weapon. "Are they aware of what large guns do to the ships they're designed to shoot at?"

"Let us hope they're only taking precise shots," Vayren responded, ignoring the sarcastic remark.

Gunfire erupted and dotted the nearby crates with bullet holes. Vayren scolded himself for being so easily distracted and scanned the room for a target. Behind him, having already found one for himself, Fynnis opened fire with his rifle and sent their foes ducking back into cover. Vayren spotted movement to his right and brought his shotgun to bear on an armored Blue Suns soldier who was just rounding the corner with his assault rifle at the ready. Vayren did not hesitated. He fired one, two, then three shots into the batarian as fast as his shotgun would allow. Unfortunately, his target was outside the optimal range for the weapon, leaving the Blue Suns soldier wounded, but able to retreat back into cover.

"How many do you have?" Vayren asked.

Fynnis let his finger off the trigger as he readjusted his aim. "Just two for now, but I think that's about to change."

" _Incoming volley, brace!"_ Shouted the ship's pilot.

Fynnis and Vayren ducked down and pressed their backs to their cover. The ship shook violently once again.

" _One missed, one connected! Kinetic barriers are failing!"_

"Just keep them busy," Vayren said as he jumped back up and searched for a target.

The salarian spotted a hand reaching out from behind a crate a few meters to his left. Clutched in its fingers was the unmistakable shape of a grenade. He pointed his shotgun in the direction of the explosive and fired two shots, unable to take the time needed to aim. One of his shots connected, or at least startled his target, as the grenade was tossed far off target toward the port side of the ship. It exploded and sent shrapnel from a few crates flying across the room in every direction, some of which embedded itself in any non-metallic material that stood to intercept it. Fynnis was firing again, though his gunfire sounded as though it was simply intended to spray bullets haphazardly toward their enemies to keep them suppressed.

" _Two more shots incoming! Brace yourselves!"_

A deep boom and the sound of distant, twisted metal followed. The the noticeable drone of the ship's thrusters disappeared in an instant.

" _I've lost thrust control! I can't evade the-"_

Vayren and Fynnis ducked down and shut their eyes just before a deafening and powerful blast erupted from the bow of the ship and sent them tumbling to the deck.

* * *

"Everyone in, come on!"

Will gripped his rifle in one hand and held his other on the door panel. Kay, T'Lees, Kallux and Ralliston stepped through the airlock door and readied their weapons.

"We're ready," Will reported over his comm.

" _Roger. Airlocks are aligned and I've extended the boarding tube,"_  Shansa replied. " _Be careful."_

The outer airlock door opened to a short, two meter long tube the extended out from around the  _Trueshot_ 's port airlock to that of the Blue Suns vessel. The tube flexed and bent as the two ships shifted, but held the connection thanks to Shansa's precision control keeping them on the same trajectory.

"Okay. Here it goes," he said, stepping into the tube.

One by one they stepped out and toward the airlock door of the batarian vessel. Will reached his gloved hand toward the outer airlock control and tapped the command to send it open. Surprisingly, it obeyed.

"Damn," Kay said, her breathing heavily from anticipation. "Guess they left it open for us?"

Will stepped forward and onto the Blue Suns ship. "I guess so."

He lifted his hand and activated his omnitool, attempting to establish a connection with Vayren and Fynnis. After a few seconds of attempting to establish a connection he put the omnitool in standby and lifted his rifle. Will motioned for Kay to open the airlock and held his sights on the center of the door as it opened. The group's eyes dropped to the two bodies in the hall, both laying just outside a doorway. Thankfully, both bodies wore matching blue and white armor now stained with blood. Will stepped into the hall and glanced to the left and right, trying to decide which direction to start in. Before he could decide a ping alerted him to a new comm connection had been established.

" _Fynnis, here!"_

The turian sounded frantic. It was one of the few times Will had ever heard him without a relaxed and sarcastic tone.

"We've boarded," Will replied. "Where are you?"

" _Lower deck, the cargo bay!"_ Fynnis paused as a few loud gunshots rang out. " _We need to evacuate fast! There are prisoners on board… and Vayren is hurt."_

"Shit." Will shook his head. "How bad?"

" _Bad. There should be an elevator toward the stern end of the ship, use that one! The one at the front is gone."_

The squad turned to the right and jogged toward the end of the hall.

"What do you mean, 'gone?'" Kallux asked.

" _Did you not see that shot you landed? It tore straight through the bow!"_

Kay sighed as they rounded the corner past the engineering compartment. "How many do you have down there?"

" _Only a few left, we're holding them off as best we can!"_

Will pointed ahead and picked up his pace. "There's the elevator, come on."

The despite only taking fifteen seconds, the descent to the lower deck felt excruciatingly long. They made up for it by barreling out of the elevator with their weapons ablaze, if for no reason other than to distract their yet to be seen enemies. Will's eyes widened as he looked down the length of the cargo bay to see the blackness of space at the starboard bow, dotted by stars and tinted by a rippling mass effect barrier. Their final shot had apparently ripped clean through an enormous chunk of the ship, leaving only the ship's emergency atmospheric barrier to prevent it from completely depressurizing. Fire and smoke were beginning to creep away from the area of impact, driven by popping and crackling crates of munitions along the way. Will blinked in surprise at a piece of metal at least a meter long that was embedded in the ceiling above them, along with dozens of other small pieces of debris that had been sent flying from the initial explosion.

"Hah! One down!" Kallux shouted happily as his cannon thumped away.

The exclamation drew Will's attention back to the matter at hand. He redirected his focus into the maze of crates and boxes to see no more than three armed Blue Suns soldiers now trying to figure out who to shoot. Kay fired a shot that took one through the neck, dropping him. Kallux growled almost as loud as his gun as he fired cathartic vengeance down range. Ralliston, who had been sprinting forward under the cover of fire, reached one of the Blue Suns and struck him across the visor with the stock of his rifle before firing unrelentingly into his chest. The final target dropped from a well placed shot originating from somewhere down range. After a few seconds of silence, Fynnis stood from cover and waved the others toward him.

"Come on! We need to get him out of here before the whole damn ship burns up!"

Somewhere out of sight, Vayren grunted in pain. "Or another one of those crates explodes."

The squad ran forward, checking the numerous fallen Blue Suns along the way. As they rounded the side of the crate Vayren and Fynnis had used for cover, a hush fell over them. Vayren looked up from where his hands gripped his thigh, just above the knee where a thick piece of shrapnel had severed the lower half of his right leg.

"I would appreciate some help," he said plainly through gritted teeth.


	28. Chapter 28

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 28**

_**ISV Trueshot, en route to Omega, Sahrabarik System** _

Getting Vayren back to the  _Trueshot_  was not difficult. Evacuating the nearly two-dozen prisoners that had been on board the Blue Suns vessel was. Many of them had initially refused to leave, assuming that the  _Trueshot_  crew was yet another band of pirates there to steal them away. A few had been injured by stray shots, explosions or shrapnel during fight, though none of them seriously. However, a look at the fire quickly spreading its way through the cargo bay was enough encouragement to choose Will and the others over staying aboard the decaying ship. Will made one final sweep of the containers that Vayren had marked with his bioscanner before returning to the airlock. Just before he, Fynnis and Kallux stepped into the decontamination chamber, Fynnis stopped and led them to a nearby compartment where the still unconscious Blue Suns engineer lay on the floor. Seeing another possible source for intel, the turian was dragged back to the  _Trueshot_  as swiftly as they could manage.

The cargo bay of the  _Trueshot_  looked like a refugee camp, though for all intents and purposes it was. Kay, T'Lees and Ralliston did their best to keep their unanticipated passengers contained and calm while Shansa and Eleena began the slow and arduous process of making their way out of the asteroid field. In the bunkroom, Kallux, Fynnis and Will worked to ensure that Vayren had received all the first aid needed to prevent him from bleeding out. A tourniquet and medi-gel had been applied immediately upon reaching him on the Blue Suns ship, but the salarian was obviously feeling the effects of blood loss. Confident that he was under control, they restrained their Blue Suns prisoner to one of the beds and Kallux gladly volunteered to stand as guard. With everything in order, Will headed up to the bridge to check on the progress of their return to Omega.

"Should be about five hours," Eleena answered before Will could ask.

He came to a stop standing behind the pilot and copilot chairs and looked through the forward viewport.

"We're out of the asteroid field?"

"Just about," Shansa replied. "Prepping for FTL now."

Eleena reached over and tapped through a few menus on an engineering panel. "We're good."

Shansa cleared her throat and activated her comms. " _Pushing us to FTL in five, four, three, two, one…"_

"Five hours?" Will repeated.

"Give or take a few minutes," Eleena replied. "How is Vayren?"

He shrugged. "I'm not a doctor. He lost a lot of blood, but I think he's stable. For the meantime at least."

Shansa winced as she opened her mouth to speak. "Did you recover his… you know, the limb?"

Will sighed and crossed his arms. "Yeah, we did. But it's torn up so badly, I don't know if they'll be able to do anything with it."

Eleena was barely able to stave off a cringe. "If you've stopped the bleeding he should be okay long enough for us to get him to a hospital. I think. He'll be okay."

"You've got a strange scale of health to call that 'okay,'" Will muttered.

"People make it through injuries like this," Shansa argued. "I did."

Will shook his head. "You didn't lose an entire limb." He turned and headed toward the stairs. "Let me know if anything comes up."

He hurried back down to the lower deck and the bunkroom. Kallux sat in one corner with a shotgun in hand, keeping a close eye on their unconscious prisoner. The krogan nodded to Will as he entered. Will gave him a nod of acknowledgment and turned to the opposite side of the room where Vayren lay on one of the beds, his chest rising and falling slowly. The Spectre had a holopad in his hand and was lethargically tapping buttons on the tablet as if he was trying to work. Will took a deep breath and approached him.

"You should probably rest," he pointed out.

"I have work to do," Vayren replied weakly. "I am typing up my report to the Spectre officers. They need to be aware of my injury."

Will stared down at the salarian as he searched for words. "Vayren, please."

The Spectre snorted in amusement as he attempted to focus his eyes on the holopad. "You sound guilty." He words were slow and clearly strained.

"No shit. Look at you," Will said flatly. "The only reason you're missing your leg is because I asked for a favor."

"Ironic, no?" Vayren mused. "Three years as a Spectre, nine in the STG, and it's helping out a friend with a Blue Suns problem that finally gets me."

Kallux chuckled from the far end of the room. "And yet I've been getting in fights every other day for hundreds of years and I'm still relatively intact. Minus a few scars."

Vayren managed to turn his head toward the krogan. "Somehow I feel as though your biology gives you a slight advantage in that regard." He shifted his eyes back to his work and took a deep breath. "Either way, there is nothing that can be done now." Vayren paused for another breath. "Other than what the doctors think they can salvage."

Will frowned and looked toward the ground. "I'm sorry that-"

"Don't be," he interrupted. "I chose a life that necessitates risk and sacrifice."

"You lost half of your leg!" Will said, nearly shouting now. "How are you okay with this?"

Vayren set his holopad down and looked up to him. "Would you like me to be angry? Depressed? Vindictive?" He shook his head gently. "I'm not happy or even 'okay.' I'm simply not dwelling on this and instead focused on where to go from here. If you wish to feel guilty then I will not stop you, but do not try to dictate how I will deal with my own injury." He let his head sit back in the lumpy pillow as he closed his eyes. "Besides, I don't have the strength to be angry even if I was."

Kallux snorted. "Don't let it bother you, Hume. Damn salarians get over their problems in half a minute."

Will let out an exasperated sigh and turned for the door. "I… I need to check on some things."

He drew in a calming breath and stepped through the door to the crew's quarters where he found Fynnis sitting at the table looking through data on two separate holopads. Will walked to the kitchenette and retrieved a glass of water before looking down to the turian.

"What did we get?" He inquired, trying to refocus on something else.

"Quite a bit, actually," Fynnis answered. "I'm still scratching the surface, but I'm sure there is a ton of data in here that'll help us."

Will managed a small smile at the good news. "That good, huh?"

Fynnis chuckled. "It's good, yeah. I dunno if I'd have traded a leg for it though."

"Hell, Fynnis," Will muttered before gulping down the rest of his water. "Are you  _trying_  to make me feel like a piece of shit?"

The turian shook his head. "Na. Just didn't realize you'd be so sensitive about it."

"I'm not-" Will stopped and collected himself. "Forget it. Just tell me when you have something."

"You got it, bud," Fynnis replied.

Will couldn't tell if the turian was mocking him or not, but at the moment he didn't care. He finished the rest of his water and set the glass on the counter before heading out the door and across the hall to the cargo bay. His heart sank at first glance. Kay and Ralliston were standing near the door with their weapons in hand, talking casually to one another. But beyond them he could see the fifteen or so people they had rescued, all sitting or sleeping on the mats that Kay had laid out for them. She had managed to scrounge up a small amount of food and as much water as they could spare, but they had not stocked for a long outing. He quirked a brow as he saw T'Lees sitting with three people, a turian, an asari and a human, talking with them and occasionally placing her hand sympathetically on one of their arms.

"I can't figure her out," Kay muttered toward Will.

He glanced to the side and let out a small smirk as he joined Kay and Ralliston. "Who's that?"

"Fayneer," Kay answered. "I can't figure out what her deal is. She runs in a half-dozen black market rings, but she's way too polite. She's got these crazy stories about some of the fights she's been in, but she wants to sit here listening to these three cry about how shitty life has been." Kay shrugged in utter confusion.

"Not everyone sees things in black and white," Ralliston pointed out. "And what makes you think it's odd for her to show compassion? T'Lees is a lot of things but I don't think she's cruel."

"Never heard of a Terminus weapons dealer who wasn't," Kay replied.

Ralliston shrugged. "Maybe she was once. Maybe not. People can be a lot more complex than what you see on the surface."

"That's... surprisingly astute, Ralliston." Will looked over to Kay. "So why are you so interested in our asari friend?"

Kay narrowed her eyes and shot him a look. "No reason."

"Mhmm." Will looked back to their passengers. "Have they been behaving?"

"As well as I'd expect them to," Ralliston answered. "I can tell they still don't trust us."

"Maybe that's what Fayneer is going for. Trying to get them to trust us so we don't have them freakin' out or anything," Kay mentioned.

"If it doesn't work and things get out of hand, try not to hurt them. You've got guns and armor, after all. They don't." He turned for the door. "We'll be at Omega in about five hours."

"We'll keep them in order," Kay assured him.

Will let out a long sigh as he stepped through the door. He certainly hoped so.

* * *

Docking at Omega was surprisingly uneventful. It was the disembarking that took a lot of work. Vayren was the first to be rushed off, accompanied by Kallux and Eleena, and taken to the nearest medical center. Ralliston had taken over guarding their prisoner, who had regained consciousness not long after their entered FTL with their course set for Omega. Thankfully, he was keeping quiet. Meanwhile, Will, Kay, and the others did what they could to deliver those they had rescued to safety. A task that proved to be a minor dilemma. The would-be slaves had no credits, and only a couple of them had contacts on Omega that they could lean on. Others were forced to seek out the Omega security forces to put them in touch with those that they were unable to contact on their own. Will stood in the docking bay with Kay and Shansa as the last five of their unintended passengers talked quietly to one another for nearly half an hour.

"What the hell are they still talking about?" Kay asked anxiously.

Will shrugged. "Maybe they don't trust Omega security to help them? I wouldn't."

"It's a little weird they're still chatting here in the docking bay of all places," Shansa pointed out nervously.

Will eyed the five figures carefully. An asari, two turians, a batarian, and a human.

"Well if they don't hurry up and get out of here we might have to make them leave," Will said quietly. "Because we have work to do and a prisoner to interrogate."

"Think we should wait until Fynnis finishes looking through data he and Vayren captured?" Shansa asked. "Might be easier to tell if this Blue Suns guy is lying if we know more than he thinks we do."

Kay nodded. "My thoughts exactly."

"Either way, it's happening soon," Will said impatiently. "Fynnis was nearly done sifting through the records about an hour ago. I can't imagine he has much left to do."

The batarian in the group glanced over to his rescuers, then back to the others and nodded. Will and Kay shared a quick glance before turning their eyes as the five remaining prisoners turned and approached them. The batarian cleared his throat and looked to Will and Kay.

"We'd like to thank you again," he stated. "We still do not entirely understand how you were able to get onto that ship or why you did so, but without your help we would have certainly been doomed to a terrible fate."

Will gave him a small nod. "Not like we were going to just leave you there."

"As I said," the batarian continued, "we still do not understand entirely why you risked your lives to help us. But when your crewmate, the asari Fayneer, spoke to us earlier, she mentioned that you were working against the Blue Suns."

"That's partially correct," Will replied. "I'm after one of their leaders in particular."

"I see." The batarian frowned. "Either way, my four acquaintances and I would like to help you, if at all possible."

Kay grumbled. "My ship is already getting pretty full."

"Not to mention this is a pretty dangerous favor you're offering," Shansa added. "I had three fewer bulletholes in me before Will and I started goin' after crazy people."

"We can fight," one of the turians assured them. "And we're not afraid to get hurt if it means the Blue Suns get hurt just as hard."

Will looked to the side as he considered the offer. Anyone else on the ship and they would be dangerously close to overcrowding. Plus, these were complete strangers. Strangers who, admittedly, did have a reason to seek revenge against the Blue Suns.

"Unless Kay disagrees, I don't think we don't need anyone else on the  _Trueshot,_ " Will finally said. "But… if you really want to fight back against the Blue Suns, there's a group called the Red Moon Collective that could use as much help as they can get right now."

"And who are they?" The human asked.

Will set aside his lingering cynicism. "They're a bunch of people trying to make the galaxy a safer place. And despite the progress they may or may not be making, at least they're trying. But they are under attack. If they knew there were people who were still willing to join and help them, it would go a long way to bringing the Blue Suns to justice."

The batarian looked back to the others and they nodded in agreement. "We will seek them out. Thank you."

As they turned to leave, Kay leaned toward Will and lowered her voice. "You do know there's no damn chance in the galaxy that the RMC can take down the Blue Suns, right? I mean no offense to your old buddies or anything-"

"No, no, you're right." Will frowned. "And I don't even know what the RMC is going to try to do now. Or if it's even going to exist in the same capacity it did before." He chuckled and shrugged. "Maybe they'll go back to doing what they were before they tried to militarize. Either way, I'm not thinking about them right now. We've got more important things to attend to."

* * *

After the last of those they had rescued had left, Will found that Fynnis had indeed finished his work analyzing the Blue Suns network data. Kallux and Eleena returned a short time later and with everyone gathered in the operations center but Ralliston, who was still watching their prisoner, Fynnis tapped away at the display console to bring up his findings. Eleena stepped up beside Will as they waited and planted her hands on her hips while they watched the turian work.

"Did they give you a prognosis?" Will asked.

Eleena shook her head. "Nope. Just rushed him into the operating room and went to work. Told us it would hours at least, so we figured it'd be best to see if anything needed doing around here."

"I suppose we'll know the answer to that when Fynnis is done," he said with stretch of his shoulders.

The turian glanced up. "Working as fast as I can, here."

Kay grinned and gave him a slap on the shoulder. "I'm sure you are. Not as easy without a Spectre giving you a hand?" She teased.

Fynnis snorted. "I'm doing just fine." He stepped back and raised his omnitool. "As a matter of fact…"

The holoprojector blinked to life with a few star maps and lists of data. Shansa, who stood at the end of the table, narrowed her eyes and began reading over the maps intently as soon as they appeared.

"So there's good news and bad news," Fynnis announced. "What do you want first?"

Kay rolled her eyes. "Oh just tell us what you found."

The turian sighed. "Fine. I've got ship movements all throughout the system mapped, as you can see. I've also got tons of flight records indicating that Janson was aboard different ships going here or there over the past few months. Unfortunately, I've got nothing that could indicate where he might be going in the future."

Shansa raised a finger and pointed to the map of Fathar system. "What's going on here? There's a ton of activity moving to and from this moon."

"Ah, Shansa found the good news. Don't let this one slip away, she's a keeper," Fynnis quipped. "There are indeed a ton of movements to and from this moon, Yalrek. Ships will stay there for days at a time. And a huge number of the flights I have on record as carrying Janson were based out of this moon."

"Yalrek," Kallux muttered. "That name sounds familiar."

Shansa smirked. "It should. It's a moon of Lorek."

Eleena let out a long sigh. "Nothing good has ever come out of a visit to Lorek."

"Hey, I met you all there," Kallux objected.

"I know," Eleena said with a wicked grin.

Will raised his voice to bring them back on track. "Fynnis, anything else?"

The turian crossed his arms and looked up to his data. "That's all the information I could gather. But I drew the conclusion that I'm guessing you all have as well." He pointed toward the star maps. "There is  _something_  worth investigating on Yalrek. There are no known Blue Suns bases on the moon itself, but it's possible they have a space station or shipyard there. I don't see any other possible explanation for all the ships moving to and from this backwater moon."

"How far back do the records go?" Kallux inquired.

"A few years," Fynnis answered. "Why?"

The krogan narrowed his eyes and stared at the holoprojector. "What does the activity around Yalrek look like over time?"

Fynnis began typing into his omnitool. "Here it is over the last three years."

The crew looked to the map as an accelerated playback of traffic began. It soon became obvious that the number of ships congregating around the moon had tripled or quadrupled from the beginning to end of the captured data. As the timeline completed and started anew, Shansa looked around the group to see if they were thinking the same thing she was.

"Whatever's going on there is getting bigger," she said.

"That much seems certain," Will agreed.

Kallux placed his hands on the table and leaned forward. "And Janson has been climbing the ranks of the Blue Suns for a few years now." He pointed to the map accusingly. "If this isn't directly his doing, he's gotta be involved in some capacity."

"So that's our target," Kay said decided. "Yeah?"

Will nodded. "Yes. Eventually. First we're going to learn as much as we possibly can about what's going on here."

Fynnis reached up and scratched his chin. "Really? You don't think flying in blind would be the better option?"

"Funny. But no. Last time we went into something like this too early I got spaced," Will replied. "And I'd like to avoid that this time."

"Ah, right," Fynnis said slowly. "I could see why you might not want that to happen again."

Kay rolled her eyes. "Okay, let's shelve the sarcasm for a minute or two. How are we going to prep for this?"

"Fynnis, think you can find us a place to start?" Will asked.

"I can get into some public records and start looking deeper into those ship movements," Fynnis answered. "Might take a little while though."

Will took a deep breath. "That's fine. We've already got our first lead tied up down in the bunkroom. And I think it's time we paid him a visit."


	29. Chapter 29

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 29**

_**ISV Trueshot, Docking Bay C-8, Omega** _

Will, Kallux and Fynnis stood side by side, staring at the turian tied to a chair across from them. Their Blue Suns prisoner looked back at them with narrow eyes and his mandibles pulled in tight to reflect a mix of fear and anger. They had been waiting for a solid minute now, letting the situation sink in on their guest. Will cleared his throat and spoke flatly as he took a step forward.

"What's your name?"

He already knew. Half of the name, at least. Fynnis had compiled everything that they had gathered while on board the Blue Suns vessel. The name of this engineer was a part of it. If he answered this truthfully, this might be easier than he was expecting.

"If you're going to kill me, just do it now," the turian replied weakly.

Will snorted and shook his head. "Got no plans to kill you. Now answer my question."

The Blue Suns engineer looked to each of the three people standing before him. Kallux, who had gladly volunteered to play the "bad cop," snarled as their prisoner remained silent.

"Answer him!" The krogan barked.

The turian flinched, but attempted to maintain his cool. Fynnis stood at the end of the table, watching their prisoner for every minute change in his facial expressions. Not only would Fynnis be able to refute or confirm many of their prisoner's claims, but he could provide invaluable insight into turian ticks and expressions that Will and Kallux might not even notice. Will was consistently surprised at how professional Fynnis acted as soon as there was truly something on the line. Silence fell over the room as their Blue Suns prisoner averted his eyes. With no response, Fynnis let out a sigh and leaned forward.

"You holding out for something?" He asked. "Holding out for someone to help you?"

No response.

"You think the Blue Suns are gonna bust in here and save your ass?" Kallux added.

Their prisoner twitched one of his mandibles but continued averting his gaze.

Fynnis took a few steps around the table and came to a stop beside him. "I'm honestly curious," he said. "You think they owe you something? That ship you were on is gone and so is its crew. Even when they eventually figure that out, they're not going to come looking for you."

"I wasn't expecting them to," the turian prisoner muttered.

Will nodded in satisfaction. "Good. So why not just answer my questions?"

After a brief pause he spoke. "My name's San Callisus," the turian muttered.

"Perfect," Will replied. "That's all I need from you. Just a few answers."

According to what Fynnis and Vayren had overheard, he was at least being truthful about his name. Will slowly walked down to the end of the table as he pondered his next question. He needed to soften Callisus up before jumping into the important things.

"What did you do for the Blue Suns?" Will asked.

Callisus looked down to the ground and set his jaw firmly. After a few seconds without a response, Will raised a brow and crossed his arms.

"San. What was your job on that ship?"

The prisoner continued staring toward the ground before closing his eyes and shaking his head slowly. Will glanced toward Kallux and gave the krogan a small nod. The krogan placed his hands on the table and leaned forward, baring his teeth.

"What the hell do you think you owe them?" Kallux snapped.

The krogan was playing the bad cop pretty well. Though his rather overt anger toward the Blue Suns meant he did not have to put on that much of an act.

"They don't care about you," Kallux reminded him. "Do you really care about  _them?_  What did they do for you that deserves this kind of loyalty?"

Callisus took a deep breath and opened his eyes. "I… they don't treat deserters very well."

"We're well aware," Will informed him. "A member of our crew used to be Blue Suns. But he wised up and got the fuck out. You've got a chance to do that right now, but if you want that to be easy, you need to cooperate with me."

The turian flared his mandibles and let his head droop to the side defeatedly. "I'm an engineer," he answered. "That was my job. Just keep the ship running."

Another truthful response.

"How long have you been with the Blue Suns?" Will asked.

"Just a few years," Callisus answered. "I got recruited because they needed crew with experience on batarian vessels."

Will could see Fynnis listening intently. He was recording everything on his omnitool, but was clearly committed to remembering everything as it came along.

"And you had experience?" Will said, hoping he would elaborate.

"Yeah. Few years on an old batarian hauler. Kinda like the  _Maria,_ " Callisus said.

Fynnis cleared his throat to get the prisoner's attention. "Why did they need people with experience on batarian ships? They didn't have them already?"

Callisus shrugged. "I don't know. When I joined they were still renovating the  _Maria._  Must have just gotten hold of her."

That coincides with the increase in Blue Suns ship traffic around Yalrek, Will thought to himself. If they had just acquired the batarian ship, it's plausible that all the new traffic was the result of dozens of other new vessels being added to their fleet. Will frowned and shifted uneasily. A rapid fleet expansion was much more concerning than the Blue Suns simply redeploying their current fleet to new areas and basing them out of Yalrek. He looked over to Kallux and Fynnis. The krogan was maintaining his stoic expression, but he could see in Fynnis's eyes that he was drawing the same conclusions that Will was.

After more silence, Callisus looked up and around the room. "Why are you asking me these things? What do you want?"

"We're asking questions, not answering them," Kallux said in his gravelly tone.

"Where was your ship's home port?" Fynnis asked, bypassing the inquiry.

"Yalrek," he answered.

Will nodded slowly. "And how many more ships are berthed there?"

Callisus narrowed his eyes. "Why? What do you want wi-"

Kallux slammed his fist on the table with a loud crack. "What part of  _answer_  has you confused?" He snarled.

Their prisoner shook his head. "No. No way. You're attacking them! What are you, Eclipse? Citadel special ops?"

"What the hell does it matter?" Kallux barked. "You can't help them."

"I just want a fresh start," Callisus argued vehemently. "I'm not gonna help you kill them. They'll find me! I'm not a bad person, I swear, I just-"

Kallux growled and grabbed onto the table, pushing it aside. He stomped forward and leaned down toward the turian.

"No member of the Blue Suns can call themselves a good person! What makes you think you're worthy of my pity?"

"I just needed money!" Callisus yelped frightenedly.

"Trafficking slaves!" Kallux yelled. "Attacking me and my comrades!" He grabbed the turian by the neck and stared him down with fiery eyes. "Look at that man and tell him you're a good person!" He twisted the turian to look toward Will. "He spent a year and a half enslaved because of the people you want to protect."

The turian prisoner coughed and choked as he stared at Will with wide eyes. Finally, Will stepped forward and grabbed Kallux by the arm.

"Alright, let him go."

Kallux released him and stood back as he breathed long and deep. The krogan turned and took a few steps away as he stared toward the ground to collect himself. Callisus was scared. Even Will could see it. But then, it was hard to look a raging krogan in the eyes and keep a level head. Even more so when the krogan has you by the neck.

"We're not mounting some kind of attack on the Blue Suns. Not right now, at least," Will finally answered. "We just want information."

Callisus was visibly shaking as he looked away from them and shook his head. "No, please, just let me go," he begged. "I don't know anything important. I'm just a mechanic."

"We'll decide what's important," Fynnis said flatly. "Now answer the question. How many Blue Suns ships are based out of Yalrek?"

Their prisoner remained silent and continued to shake his head in protest. Will, Kallux and Fynnis looked to one another. Will motioned toward the door and was met with a nod from the others, prompting them to step out into the hallway without another word. With the door closed behind them they stepped across the hall and into the cargo bay where Shansa, Eleena, Ralliston, Kay and T'Lees looked up to the sound of the opening door. They had been listening in on the interrogation from Will to Eleena's omnitool.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Kay asked immediately.

"You could hear as well as we could," Will answered. "He stopped talking."

"He knows we're planning something against the Blue Suns," Eleena agreed. "Which is problematic, if he's still loyal to them."

"I don't think he's loyal to the Blue Suns," Shansa corrected. "Quite the opposite, actually…"

T'Lees nodded. "Yes, I agree. He is worried that surrendering any information about the Blue Suns will make him a target. A shame, too, as he actually seems as though he regrets his time with them."

Kay rolled her eyes. "Great. So he's got a conscience. That'll make it just a little bit harder to beat the answers out of him."

"We're  _not_  hurting him for the answers we need," Kallux objected harshly. "We're better than that."

"Really? Good thing we didn't ask you a minute ago, then." Kay shrugged. "I'm just trying to get us what we need."

Will shook his head. "No, Kallux is right. Violence is the last resort. We can't trust anything he says if he's being beaten into providing answers."

Eleena snapped her fingers and pointed toward Will. "Wait, what about Ralliston?"

Will raised a brow. "What about him?"

"If this guy is honestly worried about the Blue Suns retaliating, we should have someone who has been in his position doing the negotiating." Eleena nodded to Ralliston. "Just show Ralliston as the example he needs. He turned his back on the Blue Suns and lives to speak about it. So can Callisus."

"I should probably remind you that I didn't leave the Blue Suns because of some moral dilemma," Ralliston said. "They tried to have me killed. That just ended up being a good thing in the long run."

"Right, because the Blue Suns are bastards! That only helps our argument," Eleena concluded. "Appeal to his guilt. Just convince him that he and everyone else will be better off if he answers our questions. We're the people he should be helping, not them."

Fynnis chuckled. "Yeah, we're the good guys," he joked. "We were nice enough to not kill him. We could remind him of that."

"Okay. We just need to convince him that he's not helping anyone by protecting the Blue Suns, himself included," Will decided. "Ralliston, you're with us."

Eleena reactivated her omnitool as Will, Kallux, Fynnis and Ralliston turned and walked back to the crews quarters. Callisus looked up as the door slid apart. His eyes fell on the new face.

"Callisus, I'm going to ask you again," Will said. "How many Blue Suns ships are at Yalrek?"

The turian looked toward the floor. Will let out a sigh and waved Ralliston forward.

"Hey, buddy," Ralliston said firmly.

Callisus looked up but slunk back in his chair. "What?"

Ralliston stepped forward and knelt in front of their prisoner. He stared quietly for a few moments before speaking.

"Who do you think you're helping?" He asked. "Got friends at Yalrek you're trying to protect?"

"Friends?" Callisus shook his head slowly. "No. No friends."

"Just scared then," Ralliston concluded. "Scared of what they might do you."

"Of course… I served with them on that ship for years," Callisus answered. "I've seen the things they do. Was even made to them myself a few times. What's it to you?"

"Because I used to be one of them," Ralliston answered.

Callisus narrowed his eyes. "You were-"

Ralliston nodded once.

"They turned on you," Callisus reiterated.

"They always do. Eventually," Ralliston replied. "They don't care about you. They don't care about anyone. They care about whatever will get them money or power. All of them. I'm speaking from personal, misguided, delusional experience. It doesn't matter if you're best buddies with everyone in the gang or answering questions in the galley of some strange, old ship. You are always a target."

Callisus closed his eyes. "I know. Spirits, I didn't mean for this to happen. I just wanted a job. Some of my friends warned me about them, but the pay was good and I was just doing engineering work." He opened his eyes. "And I know it's dangerous. All of it. But if they find out that I'm alive and that I told you-"

"They won't," Ralliston interrupted. "I got out. You can too. And you can give those fuckers a taste of what they deserve by just answering our questions. Trust me, I've done way worse to the Blue Suns since I left than you possibly could."

Callisus looked up to Will. "What… what are you going to do to them?"

He crossed his arms. "Whatever I have to. I'm only after one man, but if anyone else gets in the way, well," Will shrugged. "They're Blue Suns. I won't lose any sleep."

"Are you sure they won't find me?" He asked.

Ralliston stood up and shook his head. "No. I'm not sure. But you lit a fuse on your own life the second you signed up with them, just like I did. Might as well cause some collateral damage."

Their prisoner's eyes turned to the floor. A few seconds passed before he swallowed hard and nodded his head as if encouraging himself to speak.

"I know a few things," he said weakly. "There are about two dozen ships stationed out of Yalrek."

Will felt a sense of immense relief lifted from his shoulders as Callisus finally began to answer. If he had really abandoned his inhibitions, they could finally get what they needed.

"You've been there, right?"

"All the time," Callisus answered. "There's a low-orbit shipyard, but most of the ships are berthed on the surface."

Will scratched his chin. "What do you know about Blue Suns leadership?"

Fear returned to their prisoner's eyes briefly. "Not much. Just a few names."

"Is 'Janson' familiar?" Fynnis asked.

Callisus nodded. "Of course. He basically runs the place."

Kallux narrowed his eyes curiously. "'Basically?' Who else is there?"

"There's someone higher up… some turian I think. But he's never around. I don't think he spends much time in the field," Callisus answered. "I really don't know anything about him. Janson is the one calling the shots in the system. And he's out there making sure his shit gets done."

Will frowned to himself. It seemed Janson may be as important as he and the crew had theorized. If that was true, it would be no easy task reaching him, killing him, and making it out alive.

"Is there anything else you can tell us?" Fynnis asked. "Anything about his comings and goings?"

Callisus eyed them all curiously. He was clearly not stupid, and their fixation on one person in particular was obvious.

"He oversees special missions from time to time," their prisoner replied. "But he spends most of his time on the flagship.  _Prospect_. I did some maintenance on her a year back."

Will and Fynnis looked to one another excitedly before the turian turned back to Callisus.

"How often is he aboard that ship?" Fynnis asked. "What kind of ship is it?"

Their prisoner looked to the side as he recalled an answer. "Like I said, it's the flagship of the system fleet. It's his base of operations, as far as I know. The ship itself? It's an old turian ship, I think. The size of a destroyer, at least."

Will's eyes widened. "A destroyer?"

"It's by far the biggest in the fleet," Callisus affirmed. "But it was a derelict wreck for years before the Blue Suns recovered it. From what I remember when I was on board, some systems still don't run, and only a few do at maximum capacity."

Silence settled over the room once again. This was as good as they could hope for as far as information was concerned.

Will stepped forward. "Callisus, is there anything else you can tell me? Troop numbers, maybe a layout of the station?"

"Numbers? It depends on how many ships are docked at the time. A hundred? Maybe more?" Callisus shook his head. "And the layout of the dock? I don't have anything like that. But I could probably tell you a bit about their network if you're able to get in."

Fynnis activated his omnitool. "I'm listening."

"The station itself isn't terribly secure," Callisus continued. "It connects with the networks of incoming ships constantly and uses a bunch of old encryption keys that haven't been cycled in ages. I'd… offer to give you them but my omnitool was fried at some point."

"Ah, so that's what those were," Fynnis muttered. "I stole them off of you back on that ship. I'll mark those as something to hold onto."

"Good, keep it. That's all I know."

"I don't have any more questions," Fynnis said. "Will?"

He shook his head. "No. Me neither."

Callisus looked to each of his four captors. "What happens now?" He asked quietly.

Will let out a small sigh. "We can't let you go. Sorry, but I just can't trust you not to head back to the Blue Suns."

Their prisoner blinked in shock. "What? Why would I tell you all of this if I was going to run back to them?" He asked desperately.

"He's right. You're a liability," Kallux grumbled as he shifted his eyes to Will. "The RMC's got a temporary base of operations in place on Omega. We can transfer him there."

"You said you were going to let me go!" Callisus shouted.

"I said we weren't going to hurt you," Will corrected. "This is about as good as you can hope for. Don't push it."

"No, no no, please," he begged. "Just let me go."

Will looked to Kallux and nodded. "Tell the Collective to be ready for him." He motioned toward Ralliston and Fynnis. "Let's get him up and into the Kodiak."

Callisus broke down as they untied him from the chair and yanked him to his feet. Will crossed his arms and watched from the corner of the room as he was pulled out of the room and into the hallway.

"They'll be ready," Kallux said as he deactivated his omnitool.

Will let out a small sigh and frowned. "Good."

The krogan raised a brow. "You okay?"

"Not right now," Will answered truthfully. "Just need a few hours. And something to take my mind off of this even for a few minutes."

Eleena and Shansa stepped through the door a few seconds later, having seen and heard that the interrogation was over.

"I guess I'll be flying him over there?" Shansa asked.

"If you could," Will answered appreciatively.

Shansa glanced to Kallux. "Gonna need to know where to go."

The krogan lumbered past her. "Come on, I'll get the coordinates into the nav system."

Eleena and Will watched as they left the room. As the door closed she looked back to Will and took a few steps toward him.

"Sounds like we got a lot of information," she said.

"Plenty," Will replied. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Eleena nodded understandingly. "How'd you like to go for a walk in the markets? See if there are any book stalls nearby?"

He gave her a relieved sigh. "Yeah. I could really use that right now."

"I know. We both could."

She offered a small smile and took his hand as they turned and walked to the door.


	30. Chapter 30

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 30**

_**Tilno District, Omega** _

Will looked down to the book his hand. Fate had decreed that an old turian war novel would be the first piece of their collection. Earlier, while they were still walking the markets, Eleena had suggested they start building a collection of books to replace those that had been lost with the  _Hyperion._  Will had happily agreed. The idea had not even crossed his mind since Kay had rescued him. Since that time, Will had been so concerned with finding his friends and serving justice to Janson that he hadn't thought about much else. Still, he found himself consciously pushing away thoughts of their current mission and knew that he would keep doing so until everything was finally over. He was looking forward to that. It didn't matter whether it was him or Janson who died first, he need this to end eventually.

"That author was one of my father's favorites," Eleena mentioned as she glanced down to the book.

Will looked over to her as they walked side by side down the street back toward the docking bay.

"That why you suggested it?" He asked.

She smirked. "Probably had something to do with it. That and I like a good war story."

"You just like the naval battles," Will teased.

"I don't  _just_  like those parts. But they're definitely the best," Eleena said with a grin. "That turian fleet is something to behold…"

"Hey now, last I read the Alliance was becoming a powerhouse as well," Will argued. "We humans can make a fine ship."

The asari rolled her eyes. "No need to be sensitive. I loved the  _Hyperion_  as much as any other ship I've served on."

Will managed a small smile. They walked quietly for another minute before Eleena glanced over and cleared her throat.

"So, what are we going to do now?"

He kept his eyes forward and shook his head. "I knew the sobering topics would bubble back up to the surface eventually."

Eleena shook her head. "Eventually? We've only been off the ship for an hour. You knew you would have to think about them again."

"It was nice not having to," Will admitted. "Not having to think about anything but you and me, right here and now… I forgot how nice that was."

She gave him a sly smirk. "Okay, smooth-talker, you're still avoiding the question."

He let out a long sigh. "I don't know what we're going to do, El. Attack them head on? There's no way we'd make it. We tried that with Cerberus and they beat us without ten or fifteen ships standing by."

"So you think we need to spend more time looking for a weakness? Some way to undermine or weaken them?"

"Maybe. Or maybe Fynnis and Vayren had some master plan concocted." Will looked over to Eleena. "What do you think? Just between us."

"Between us? I honestly don't know, Will," she sighed. "We took a hell of a lot of risks before one finally caught up and fucked us over. Do think we can take another?"

"Depends on the risk," he answered. "Cerberus alone was the toughest we'd ever faced. And look how that ended. The Blue Suns may not be as advanced or organized, but they're huge _._  How are we supposed to fight them?"

Eleena chuckled. "Not by charging straight into them. Unless you want to die."

Will shook his head. "That sure as hell isn't what I want. Not after we've come this far."

He reached his hand over to grasp her's. Eleena smiled and laced their fingers.

"Shit, look at this. You've got me  _holding hands_  in a public street," she laughed.

"Pretty sure that's the matronhood pulling a few strings in your head," Will teased.

Eleena jabbed his side with her thumb.

He laughed and jumped to the side. "Ow!"

"You earned that," she muttered through a grin.

As they approached the docking bay door, Will lifted his omnitool to allow it to scan his credentials. They were met with a satisfied ping as the door slid open and granted them access to a small room with the  _Trueshot_  visible through large windows on either side of the airlock door. They passed into the decontamination chamber and waited as the fine mist floated around them before the inner door opened and allowed Will and Eleena to step into the port side hallway. Will and Eleena shared a small kiss before she turned and headed toward the cargo bay to continue work on the second weapon battery as Will headed toward the bunkroom to find space in his footlocker for their new book. After tucking it safely beside a set of boots he walked to the crew's quarters where he found Fynnis, Kay and Kallux leaning over the table discussing what appeared to be a list of points and counterpoints displayed on a holopad. The krogan stood up tall as Will appeared.

"Hume, there you are," he greeted. "We were wondering where you'd disappeared to."

"Sorry. Was just going for a walk to clear my head," Will replied.

Kallux shook his head. "Don't worry about it." He looked down to his omnitool and nodded happily. "Shansa's dropped off Callisus and should be back in a few minutes."

"Good, good." Will paused for a moment. "I assume you three were discussing our options?"

"Assumptions are risky, Will," Fynnis joked. "But that one  _is_ correct. We need to make a decision on our next course of action."

Will sighed. "Figured as much. You two come up with any ideas yet?"

"Maybe," Kay replied. "As much as I like yelling 'Fuck you!' to a fight and taking it head-on, I wouldn't suggest we just fly on up to their front door. At least not yet. We need more intel, if we can get it."

"But from where?" Will asked.

Kay shrugged. "That's where we're stuck."

Will nodded. "In that case, let's get the crew together and bounce some ideas around. See if we can't figure out what our next step is."

Fynnis picked up the holopad. "I'll get things in place up at the command center. Should only take a few minutes."

"Alright, I'll round everyone up," Will decided.

As they stepped away from the table, Will's omnitool chimed to alert him of a new message. He looked down to see a transmission from an "Unknown ID."

_I'm out of surgery and awake. Thought you'd want an update._

_-Vayren_

"Don't gather everyone just yet," Will announced. "Vayren's awake and I need to see him."

Kallux nodded. "We'll be here."

Will deactivated his omnitool and gave them a grateful smile as he hurried toward the door.

* * *

The ride to the Saneer Medical Center was a familiar one for Will. He wasn't sure if he liked or hated the place, considering the stress that being there had inflicted on him in the past. It had also saved the lives of his friends. He had contacted Shansa as he got into his cab and updated her about Vayren, and she responded by immediately changing her flightpath to meet him at the medical center. They arrived at the drop-off area at roughly the same time. After Shansa stepped out of the Kodiak the two handlers for their prisoner, Ralliston and T'Lees, appeared as well.

"Did he cause any trouble?" Will asked.

Ralliston snorted. "He whined and cried, but thankfully I managed to keep my sympathy in check."

"Good. Let's get in there and find his room," Will said.

Vayren must have left a message with the receptionist, as the group was very quickly escorted to his room after mentioning their names. Will, Shansa, T'Lees and Ralliston walked behind a human nurse who looked as though she was near the end of a double shift. She stopped at a doorway and tapped one command on the panel to send it sliding open before standing to the side.

"Please check out at the front desk when you leave," she said before turning to hurry back down the hallway.

Will stepped in and looked straight ahead to where Vayren lay in his bed. Unsurprisingly, he had a holopad in hand and was busily typing away as he looked up to see his guests. The salarian tapped a few buttons to save his work and cleared his throat.

"I didn't think you would arrive so quickly."

Vayren's voice was rough. He was clearly exhausted.

"Left as soon as I got the message," Will replied. "And these three met me here when I told them."

The salarian nodded to Shansa, T'Lees and Ralliston as they entered. "Hello."

Will came to a stop beside the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Vayren smirked. "The stump still hurts, believe it or not."

"Trauma typically does," Ralliston mused.

Shansa managed a small smile. "Vayren, I'm so glad you're okay. I- I mean,  _alive._  Not okay, obviously, but-"

"Relax," Vayren interrupted. "I understand."

She bit her lip for a brief moment. "How bad is it?"

The salarian reached down and pulled the blanket to the side of his body, revealing the bandaged stump that ended his leg about a foot from the hip. Shansa gasped softly and covered her mouth. Will and Ralliston took a quick look before turning their gaze back up. T'Lees simply crossed her arms and shook her head sadly.

"That's… pretty bad," Shansa stated.

"Yes, I'm quite aware," Vayren muttered.

Will forced down the rising guilt and sighed. "Vayren, I am so sorry this happened."

"More apologies?" The Spectre inquired. "I thought we had already established that they were unnecessary."

"Just because you can come to terms with something quickly doesn't mean I can," Will countered. "And that's all I'm going to say about that now. Have the doctors got a plan for once everything has healed?"

"Yes. I've already been in contact with doctors back on the Citadel. I'm headed back there tomorrow for the first stage of my recovery."

Shansa frowned and raised her brows. "You're going all the way back to Council space?"

Vayren gave her a tiny nod. "Yes. The Spectres have access to the finest medical care that the galaxy has to offer and I intend to utilize it. This place is satisfactory, I suppose, but now that I am stable I wish to be treated by…" He paused and sighed. "The Terminus Systems are not my home and I will go where the best treatment is."

"So you're saying you're too good for this place," Ralliston reiterated.

"That's exactly what he's saying," Will agreed. "But I can't disagree with him. You deserve the best care you can possible get, Vayren."

The salarian took a deep breath and nodded thankfully. "I… appreciate the sentiment, Hume."

"I wish you a quick and easy recovery," T'Lees said.

Ralliston and Shansa gave soft mumbles and nods of agreement as Will looked to the ground. He had expected Vayren would seek medical treatment on the Citadel. Saneer was the best medical center on Omega, but it was not located at the hub of galactic civilization with infinite resources at its disposal. After a long silence, Vayren raised his chin and asked a question that Will had not been expecting to hear.

"What did you get from the databanks? And our prisoner?" He inquired. "Are you formulating anything new?"

Will quirked a brow. "I'm surprised you care," he said bluntly.

Shansa gave him a smack on the arm. "Will!"

"It's quite alright, Shansa," Vayren chuckled. "I feel as though Hume still has not accepted me as an entity capable of compassion toward a friend's personal strife." He leaned his head forward. "I was just a normal person before I was a Spectre or STG operative, you know. It does not take a matter of galactic stability to pique my concern."

"I know," Will replied. "Sorry." He shook his head and looked over to the others, as they were curious about the answer as well. "We're a little stuck. We know quite a bit now about the Blue Suns, their operations and Janson's role in all of it." Will looked back to Vayren. "Most importantly, we learned that the Blue Suns have been building a fleet the past few years based out of Yalrek. Apparently the Blue Suns have a shipyard there."

Vayren raised a hand to cradle his chin as he thought. "Yalrek? Interesting."

"Yeah, but there are dozens of people stationed there and even more when ships are in port," Will continued. "We have no idea how to infiltrate or investigate further."

The salarian pondered their situation for a moment. "What about Lorek? The planetary government, that is."

Ralliston shrugged. "What about them? They won't help us with the Blue Suns."

"They do not have to," Vayren answered. "At least not directly. This shipyard at Yalrek must be documented by the government. It would be impossible for dozens of Blue Suns ships to be based at their own moon without the government having any knowledge of their presence."

"You believe the government is allowing them to operate there uninhibited?" T'Lees asked. "The warlords who rule Lorek are powerful, they could remove a Blue Suns contingent of this size easily if they wished."

Shansa nodded. "Sure. Or they could be taking a cut from the Blue Suns operations and looking the other way. As long as the Blue Suns aren't messing with Lorek, I doubt the warlords would turn down the opportunity to collect rent from them."

"That is a reasonable hypothesis," Vayren agreed.

"So you think we should investigate on Lorek," Will concluded.

The salarian glanced up. "That isn't my decision, Hume. You know that."

Will chuckled and shook his head. "Yeah. I know. But your opinion is important to me."

The Spectre winced and shifted his leg to the right before responding. "Yes. I think Lorek is your best option. You told me about the risk you took attacking Cerberus with limited intel. Do not make that mistake twice."

"When do you think we'll have enough?" Shansa asked.

Vayren let out a small sigh. "Impossible to say. But keep in mind that each time you poke around looking for more you risk the chance of being caught."

T'Lees raised her brow. "So you are saying we should  _not_  keep poking around for intelligence?"

The Spectre settled back into his bed. "I'm saying you should be careful. You're dealing with dangerous people."

"We're aware," Ralliston reminded him.

"He knows that, he's just showing that he cares," Shansa scolded. "Thanks for your help, Vayren. You should be resting, not dealing with us."

"I'm always glad to help friends when I can," the salarian assured her.

Will stepped back. "Either way, we have work to do. And you do need rest, whether you'll admit it or not."

"I wouldn't object to it," Vayren admitted.

"Thank you again, Vayren," Will said. "For everything. I'll be in contact as much as you'd like me to be."

The salarian smirked. "If you need advice I'll be around. I won't be terribly busy for a while."

Will cracked a bittersweet smile before turning and leading the others out into the hallway. As they headed back toward the lobby, Shansa stepped up to his side.

"So. Lorek?"

"Sounds like it," Will replied.

Shansa sighed. "We can't seem to stay away from this place."

"Yeah, well, at least it's familiar territory."

* * *

With their course set for Lorek, the crew had nothing to do but burn time. Fynnis was still sifting through the data they had gathered in hopes that he had missed any scrap of information that might help them. Knowing the name of his capital ship was proving helpful in determining Janson's patterns, but unfortunately they were inconsistent. Eleena was working as fast as possible to finish her work on the second gun battery that Kay wanted operational in case they met any resistance that they were not actively seeking out. Shansa and Ralliston had been practicing with their rifles on training mode, which allowed them to shoot holographic "blanks" that could measure their accuracy on predetermined holographic targets. T'Lees and Kallux had found one another at their respective workbenches and the krogan had quickly become fascinated by her harpoon rifle, as he had not had the chance to see Welkinn use it before the batarian was killed.

Will leaned against the wall of the cargo bay beside the door, watching groups intermittently before looking to the next. Eventually, the door opened and Kay stepped into the room with her omnitool activated and eyes looking through the data listed on it. She glanced up after a few seconds and guided her gaze around the room until it finally fell on Kallux and T'Lees as they stood side by side and discussed the weapon before them. Will noticed the long gaze and took a few steps toward her.

"Don't stare too hard," he said quietly.

Kay narrowed her eyes before turning her head to give him a smirk. "You gonna stop me?"

"Of course not," Will replied with a small smile.

She casually closed the gap between them and leaned her back against the wall as he did. Kay cleared her throat softly and looked over with raised brows.

"She didn't see me staring, did she?"

Will snorted and crossed his arms. "No, she didn't. Though I'm surprised you're concerned about it."

Kay shifted uneasily. "It's weird, Will. I think… I think I  _like_ her," she managed to say.

"Something wrong with that?" Will asked.

"I guess not," she replied slowly. "It's just been so long that I barely remember what it's like."

Will looked over to T'Lees as she leaned over the workbench and nodded in affirmation to a question from Kallux.

"She doesn't seem like your type," Will mentioned offhandedly.

Kay raised a brow. "And how the hell would you know my type?"

"I knew them when we were kids," he reminded her. "The boyfriends you had each had their own unique way of making me fear for my life."

"Oh, they were just kids," Kay snorted. "Besides, I wouldn't have let them hurt you."

"I appreciate it," Will chuckled.

Kay nodded. "Of course. If anyone was going to be beating you up it was gonna be me."

"Okay, now I don't appreciate it as much." Will raised a finger. "Also, if I recall, I met a lot of your boyfriends. No girlfriends though."

Kay shrugged. "Your point?"

"When did that happen?" He asked.

"Never 'happened,' I just didn't meet a girl I was really into until a few years ago," she answered.

Together they looked back over to the workbench. T'Lees had stepped away and was stretching her arms. As she brought them back down she glanced over her shoulder to see the two of them watching her. The asari froze in place and furrowed her brow curiously before giving them a small wave. They returned it with smiles as T'Lees shrugged and looked back to the rifle.

"Once again, not seeing her as your type," Will restated.

Kay laughed and shook her head. "Are you kidding? She's crazy and got the scars to prove it. You should hear some of the stories about corporate takeovers. The kind that don't happen around a conference table." She lowered her voice. "And the way she's all prim and proper when she tells them is pretty hot."

"You are an odd woman, Kay."

Kay shot him a sarcastic smile. "Why yes, Mister Pot, I am black. By the way, my name is Miss Kettle. I thought we'd met."

Will smirked indignantly. "I am  _not_  that odd. And that was a masterful deflection." He looked over to her curiously. "Why are you acting so weird about being into her? I've never known you to be ashamed about your tastes in anything."

The question was clearly touching a subject that Kay had been avoiding both externally and internally. She looked to the ground and held back a frown as she shifted to the left and right.

"I'd actually like to get to know her more," she finally answered. "But I'm worried about me more than anything. What if I'm uninteresting? Or she thinks I'm beneath her or something?"

Will snorted in amusement. "Wow. You must be pretty fucking smitten if she's got you questioning yourself that intensely. I don't know if I've  _ever_ heard you say you actually care about someone else's opinion."

Kay sighed. "That's not the case," she said earnestly. "I care about what you think. And Shansa. Even Fynnis sometimes. But  _seeking_  the approval of others just isn't something I do." Kay paused for a moment and looked over to Will. "But I care about what Fayneer thinks. And I want to know her better."

"You're interesting, Kay, trust me. Just be yourself," Will said.

"She's a rich, powerful businesswoman," Kay retorted. "And I'm a smuggler, or mercenary, or thug. I don't even know at this point. What's she going to see in me?"

Will shook his head. "Maybe you could ask  _her_ that kind of question when you're getting to know her better."

Kay grumbled. "You aren't helping."

"I don't recall ever offering to help," Will said with a grin.

"I'm going to strangle you," she threatened flatly.

Will nodded and turned for the door. "Always happy to talk, Kay."


	31. Chapter 31

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 31**

_**ISV Trueshot, in orbit over Lorek** _

Fynnis hummed to himself as he tabbed through data on his holopad while taking the occasional bite from his food. He had been working for hours now repeatedly looking over the same data in just case he had missed something, but each time it became more obvious that he had been perfectly observant on his first pass. The turian picked up his glass of water and downed a few gulps as the door to the crew's quarters pinged and slid open, allowing Will to step inside and give him a nod of acknowledgment.

"How's it going, Fynnis?" Will asked.

"Fine," he answered. "I don't think there's anything else I can get out of this data, Hume. We should start on our plan for Lorek."

"Sounds good." Will paused for a moment. "You think Vayren is right about this? You think we'll be able to get information from them?"

Fynnis laughed. "Of course. Whether or not they provide it knowingly, however…"

The turian closed out the banks of data he had been continuously reanalyzing and pulled up the information he had stored on Lorek. Will stepped over to the kitchen and grabbed a drink before taking a seat beside Fynnis and watching him work for a moment.

"I'm glad you're better at this than you were letting on," Will admitted. "I've always had Tul'Sorrin or Vayren around when laying out our mission strategies. Plus I know next to nothing about hacking."

"You're lucky this was my specialty," Fynnis said with a cocky chuckle.

Will took a sip of his drink. "Back when you were a, what was it, corporate agent?"

Fynnis nodded. "That's right."

"You got away from my question back on Invictus," Will reminded him. "About how you got into that line of work."

"It's not a terribly interesting story," Fynnis admitted. "I was a tech specialist in the navy for about four years, then got recruited for my expertise by a corporation based in the Terminus."

"Recruited?"

The turian nodded. "Mhmm. I was applying to enter the special forces at the time, mainly domestic peacekeeping, and they liked my skillset and psych evaluation."

Will raised a brow. "How did this company get hold of this information?"

"I gave it to them," Fynnis answered. "Well, not to them specifically, but an agency."

"Military special forces and corporate espionage are pretty different," Will said with a laugh. "You were applying to both?"

"I wasn't explicitly looking for something in corporate espionage, as you call it. The agency that handled my dossier just happened to think it was a good fit. And yeah, it was actually a pretty tough choice to leave public service," Fynnis replied. "Turians are always expected to serve in some capacity. At least those who are governed by the meritocracy."

"So why'd you do it?" Will asked.

Fynnis looked over to him. "I wanted to see more of the galaxy."

"I'm assuming you did."

"Of course. Corporate entities hide their facilities in every system out there. I visited all four quadrants within my first year," Fynnis sat back in his seat. "It was a pretty great gig, actually."

Will smirked. "So why quit?"

The turian looked away immediately. He had not been caught of guard by the question, and clearly had been hoping Will would not ask it.

"I didn't quit," Fynnis answered. "Not in the official capacity."

Will waited a few seconds and took another sip of his drink. "Go on."

"I messed up," Fynnis continued. "Got caught. I was in a position to go to prison for a long time, but… I made a deal with my captors. They got a lot of intel about the people I worked for and I testified against my employer in a lawsuit against them. In return, they took pretty much everything I had and didn't press charges."

"So you ended up on Omega," Will presumed.

"That's right," Fynnis affirmed. "No way I could work legitimately anymore. Not with so much information on me floating around now."

Will finished his drink and stood up to place his glass in the sink. "So that's why you've stuck around to do all this crazy shit. You miss it. I'd assumed that you left that line of work intentionally. Not been forced out."

"It's been years since I've done anything like this." He took a deep breath. "Yeah. I missed it."

"And it's important to like what you do," Will mused.

"Hopefully it doesn't bite me in the ass," Fynnis muttered.

"I count you among my friends, Fynnis," Will declared. "And to me that means that if you ever get into trouble, I'll have your back."

The turian nodded once. "I appreciate that. Same goes for the other way around."

Will motioned toward the holopad. "Why don't we head up to the operations deck and get started on our game plan."

"I'd love to. I've been getting antsy down here anyway."

* * *

Hours later, as the  _Trueshot_ hung in orbit over Lorek, Fynnis looked up from his holopad and shook his head.

"Nothing, Hume."

Will frowned and continued pacing back and forth on the starboard side of the operations deck. He crossed his arms over his chest and shot him a sideways glance.

"From any of them?"

The turian shook his head. "Denied permission from all of them."

"Not unexpected," Eleena reminded them.

Will looked over to where Kay, Eleena and Shansa stood nearby.

Shansa nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Terminus despots typically don't advocate for governmental transparency."

"There has to be another way into Lorek's records," Eleena said. "It's not like asking them is our only option."

Kay glanced toward Fynnis. "Well, Fyn?"

The turian deactivated his omnitool and leaned back with a small laugh. "Of course. Will and I scoped out some other ways into their records earlier. They just involve more of a 'hands on' approach."

Kay turned back to Will and smiled. "My favorite kind of approach!"

Eleena raised a brow and looked to Fynnis. "Meaning?"

The turian shrugged nonchalantly. "We break down some doors and take what we need. It's not like these warlords are saints, after all."

"Breaking down doors usually involves pushing past the people assigned to guard them," Shansa quickly reminded the group. "What about them?"

Kay furrowed her brow. "We break them down too. I thought that was implied."

Shansa shook her head. "No. Absolutely not."

"What the hell is up your ass?" Kay groaned. "The people guarding these server nodes are just thugs!"

"That's not true," Shansa objected.

"It's usually true," Will argued.

Shansa narrowed her eyes. "Do you know who those people are? They're people who have no other options. People who are just following orders so their families can eat." She crossed her arms. "Have you completely forgotten about Welkinn? How he ended up where he was before he turned to the Pillars?"

"He ended up where he was by just 'following orders' and  _murdering_  innocent people," Will said calmly. "The fact that he felt guilty and sought penance is a fluke. I wouldn't count on the others being so morally aware."

"Then what about Ralliston?" Shansa asked.

Will shook his head. "What about him? He said himself that he didn't change his ways because of a moral objection. We'll deal with these people as we have to."

Shansa let out an aggravated sigh and spun on her heel to march toward the stairs at the back of the operations deck. Will shook his head and looked back to the the others, holding up a hand to keep them in place before running after her. She had reached the bottom of the starboard stairwell by the time he caught up and placed a hand on her shoulder. She spun to face him and shrugged off his hand.

"Get off of me," she snapped.

Will yanked his hand back and raised his brows in shock. "Shan?"

She took a few deep breaths. "I don't want to be around you when you're like… this."

"Like what?"

Shansa stepped back and held out her hands to him. "Like you! You're not the same," she said weakly. "You're not Will."

He furrowed his brow and parted his lips as he searched for a reason. "What? What are you talking about? Of course I am."

She took another shaky breath and shook her head in objection. "The William Hume I knew and loved as my closest friend  _never_ disregarded lives like you do."

Will dropped his arms to his side. "I don't disregard life. What the hell makes you think that?"

"You've been like this since the second you came back. Since you found us on Illium."

"Shansa, what are you talking about? That's not true," he scoffed.

"It's absolutely true."

Her voice was low, cold and more accusatory than Will had ever heard. At least for words directed toward him.

Shansa stared him down as she continued. "Seeing you on that rooftop was so shocking I could barely keep my head on straight. But aside from the fact that you had just appeared, seemingly back from the dead, something was  _wrong._  I didn't even notice until hours later when I was laying in bed trying to force myself to sleep." She looked to the side. "You just cut them down. The two men on top of that construction site where we had crashed."

Will furrowed his brow. "What? Who?"

"You don't even remember," Shansa thought aloud, though unsurprised. "Eleena and I were pulling ourselves out the crash and you gunned them down."

He gave her a confused look. "The two bodyguards? Of course I did! They were going to kill you!"

"That's not the point," Shansa shouted. "The point is you didn't even give them a chance!" She dropped her arms to her side in exasperation. "You always gave them a chance…"

Will stepped back and shook his head. "You're actually  _angry_  because I protected you and Eleena."

Shansa turned her eyes back to him. "We've been at each other's sides for years, Will. I know how much you hate hurting others. And you don't inflict harm on someone without at least trying to offer mercy. Now you dismiss every damn concern I raise about the innocent people that might stand between us and this stupid Janson." She sighed angrily. "And the fact that you're so oblivious as to why this upsets me is just more proof that you're not the same man I mourned."

A silence would have filled the hallway had it not been for the low, omnipresent drones of the ship. Will watched as Shansa placed her hand over her eyes and muttered irritably to herself about speaking too loud.

"Shansa," Will said.

She dropped her hand and looked back to him, waiting.

"I'm not  _ignoring_  the safety of innocents," Will said firmly. "I'm thinking of our own damn interests first. How many times have I given someone a chance to drop their weapon and they actually complied? Twice, maybe? Every single other time I was putting us in danger by giving some dirtbag a chance to line up their shot on us. We can't afford that kind of risk."

"Is it Kay that's making you like this?" Shansa asked. "She doesn't give a damn second thought before pulling the trigger either."

"She's thinks that way because she had to in order to survive, Shansa," Will snapped. "I was a prisoner and a slave for a year and a half.  _She_  was held for half of her adult life! If she had walked into that mine and a kindly asked the warden to release me she'd be dead and I'd still be down there. Hell, they probably would have killed me out of spite."

Shansa reached up and ran her fingers through her hair as she tapped her foot.

"I'm still me," he continued. "And yes, I've changed a bit, but you have too! You and Eleena are running around collecting dangerous bounties. You cannot hold a little change against me. Not change that had to happen so I could fucking survive."

"I didn't want anything to be different," Shansa muttered. "When I saw you again. I wanted you to be Will. Just like you'd always been."

Will took a step toward her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "How many times do I have to tell you that  _I'm still me._  I would still never knowingly hurt someone who didn't pose a threat. But I have to be more concerned with my safety. Our safety. People don't typically point guns at us unless they want to use them."

Shansa looked up and frowned. "I just want everything to be the way it was before."

"That can't happen, Shansa. You know that," Will replied. "Things have to change eventually, but that doesn't mean it has to be all bad."

"How was any of this good?"

He shrugged. "You found Kay again."

"Kay's going to get herself killed eventually," Shansa sighed. "You too, if you keep obsessing over things like killing Janson."

"There are no other 'things' so that won't be an issue after I do kill him," Will quietly admitted. "I don't know what I'm going to do when he's dead. But I do know it won't involve running around fighting a pointless fight the way we have been for the past few years."

She raised her brows in surprise. "What do you mean? Are you just going to run merc jobs with Kay?"

"No. No, I need a break from all of that," he said with a small chuckle. "God, I really need a break."

Shansa leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him in a gentle hug. Will closed his eyes and reciprocated.

"You can come with me and Eleena," Shansa mumbled into his shoulder. "We can stick to the safer bounties. Heck, I kind of figured you'd be coming with us anyway."

Will laughed. "That so?"

She released him from the hug and crossed her arms. "Are you  _really_  implying that after everything you went through to find us again, you wouldn't want to stick together."

"Of course not. I just didn't know if you all were going to keep doing the whole bounty thing."

Shansa shrugged. "It's good money. And it feels good putting those scumbags away somewhere."

"Assuming they're actually scumbags," Will reminded her.

"If it's one thing I learned from Kallux and the RMC it's to research your targets," Shansa said with a small grin. "We only take jobs from official agencies on people with public records."

Will nodded approvingly before glancing up. "You think they're still just standing around up there?"

Shansa shifted her eyes to the ceiling. "They must have found something to do by now."

"Hopefully they aren't just listening to us yell at each other," Will grumbled. "Come on, we've got to figure out where we're going on Lorek."

* * *

The Kodiak rumbled as it pierced through the thick, driving rain of Lorek's perpetual storm. Shansa sat at the controls, carefully monitoring readouts to ensure the recently repaired shuttle was operating at its optimal capacity. So far everything was fine, but Eleena had offered to fly as the copilot and keep her keen eyes on things as well. In the rear compartment of the Kodiak, Will stood staring at the ground with his back against the wall as he thought about what Shansa had said to him. He had defended himself and his actions, but he had not admitted the guilt he felt for them and dozens of other things he had done of the past few years. The others around him were far less somber, however. Kallux talked with Ralliston about the RMC and what the turian had managed to accomplish with the Eclipse on Illium. They had not had the chance to discuss Ralliston's mission at any point earlier. Kay, Fynnis and T'Lees sat on the port-side troop bench, checking their weapons and chatting casually to one another.

Will steadied himself as a large gust rattled the Kodiak, but did not deter them. They could not be more than a few minutes from their insertion point, he thought to himself. Fynnis had located one of the dozen or so server nodes that supported the network for Lorek's capital, Jalnor. The building that the server node was housed in was located in a large facility maintained by the warlords that ruled Jalnor and the rest of civilized Lorek. However, the node was not the sole purpose of the facility. It also housed other governmental offices of far lesser concern. As well as a military outpost. They had chosen to attack at night and use the veil of darkness to hide their infiltration for as long as possible.

"Two minutes from the LZ," Shansa called from the cockpit.

They were approaching their insertion point, an alley a few blocks from the facility, low and slow as to not attract attention. Will lifted his head and took a deep breath.

"Let's get ready, everyone," he said.

He reached to his back and retrieved his collapsed helmet as the others stood and prepared themselves. Will expanded his helmet and slid it onto his head, locking it into place with his armor as he walked through the others to the cockpit door.

"Everything looking good?" He asked through the helmet's broadcast mic.

"Good as new," Eleena answered as she stood from her seat and donned her own helmet. "You ready?"

Will smiled and nodded. "If you've got my back? Always."

She gave him a wink as she darted past him. Will looked down to Shansa and placed a hand on the back of her seat.

"Sure the Kodiak will be safe if we just leave it?" He asked.

"Not entirely," Shansa answered. "But it's either that or I just circle around overhead while you all do the heavy lifting." She glanced over her shoulder.

"You don't need to convince me," Will assured her. "I want you right beside me on this."

She gave him a curt nod and looked back to her flight controls. "Thanks. We're about to touch down."

Will spun and walked back into the cabin. "Alright everyone, let's keep it clean and quiet! I want us in and out without them even knowing we've stopped by."

"Night shift, Terminus gang-level security," Fynnis laughed. "I don't think that'll be a problem."

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Kallux grunted. "The worst thing a soldier can do is underestimate their enemy."

The belly thrusters of the Kodiak ignited and slowed their descent as Shansa positioned the shuttle for landing. Will stepped past Kay and T'Lees to the door controls where he tapped a few buttons and sent the side hatch sliding open. Lights of the city stretched out into the distance for a fleeting moment before one of the buildings enclosing their landing zone swept up and obscured the view. The rain was still driving heavily and began filling Will's helmet visor with lethargic droplets slowly sliding across his vision.

"Heavy rain," Will commented over the comm system.

Kallux stepped up beside him. "Must have broken off from the main storm."

Water sprayed up from beneath the shuttle until the stabilizing thrusters cut out and the Kodiak settled into position on the ground. Will stepped through the hatch and onto the ground where he looked to the left and right. In either direction he could see the dim lights of late-night streets and turned back to the others to wave them down. One by one the squad jumped down to his side, weapons in hand. Shansa was the last to appear as she grabbed her rifle from her back.

"Ready?" Will asked.

Shansa nodded confidently. "Absolutely. Let's do this nice and clean."

"Nice and clean," Will repeated with a small smile.

Will turned and began down the alley. "Eyes open, and mouth shut. We've moving."


	32. Chapter 32

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 32**

_**Jalnor, Lorek** _

Will peered around the corner of the building and made a quick visual sweep of the street. They had only one more block to traverse before hitting the walls of the compound. Fynnis had checked the extranet to confirm that the rain was indeed abnormal, and given the late hour of their infiltration, the streets had been barren thus far.

"It's clear," Will reported.

He glanced over his shoulder to where Fynnis and Kay stood. The former was looking through items on his omnitool as the latter kept her eyes on the street. Behind them the rest of the crew waited with their backs pressed to the wall to conceal themselves as much as possible.

"I think it's time to split," Fynnis decided. "The data I pulled from the urban zoning office shows three of four possible points of entry. Our best bets are the sewer line here and this section of wall lined with residential housing about the same height." He held his omnitool toward Will and pointed out their two options.

They had already discussed and agreed upon splitting the team into two squads, and now it was only a matter of deciding who was to go where.

"Alright, my squad will take the sewers," Will decided. "Kay, you and the others will jump the fence."

"Sounds like fun," Kay replied as she pulled her attention from searching the area back to the discussion at hand.

"Fynnis, did you send the map out to everyone?" Will asked.

The turian nodded once. "It's not exactly a 'map,' but yes."

"As long as it gets us to our points of entry," Will conceded. "Shansa, Eleena, Kallux, you ready to move?"

The three of them gave him a nod of acknowledgment from their positions in the line. Will looked to Kay and lowered his head.

"Kay, let's do this right," he said.

She gave him a cocky smirk. "I always do it right." Kay looked over her shoulder. "Ralliston, Fayneer, you're with me and Fynnis. Let's move!"

Will gripped his rifle tight and watched as Kay darted across the street with the others in tow. As she disappeared into the driving rain and darkness, Will looked back to the three people behind him and smiled. His eyes shifted from Shansa, then to Eleena, then finally stopped at Kallux.

"Feels like old times."

Eleena flexed her shoulders to keep herself limber. "Almost. We're a quarian short."

Will turned and peered around the corner of the building. "Don't remind me. Our only tech expert is with Kay's fireteam. My guess is that the sewers will have little to no security systems, so we should be able to get by with the canned hacks. Hopefully."

"Glad we've got such a fool-proof plan," Kallux jested.

"You and me both," Will muttered sarcastically. "Okay, according to the map we need to head down one more block and into an alley."

"We're right behind you, Will," Shansa said.

He looked back and gave the three of them a confident smile before raising his rifle and rounding the corner. The group hurried across the street, splashing through the deep water that was building up from the abnormal and heavy rain. Upon reaching the buildings on the other side of the street, Will reached down and activated his combat HUD systems to track the squad. With everyone lined up behind him they continued down along the street to yet another turn that would close the final block between them and the walls of the compound.

"I'm surprised we haven't seen anyone," Shansa mentioned.

"With a storm like this I can understand why people would want to stay inside," Eleena replied.

"There's a reason we're doing this in the middle of the night," Will reminded them as he slowed to a stop.

He looked down the road they had reached. To the right he could see the shadows of what could only be the alleyway they were looking for. Will turned back to the others.

"I see it. It's across the street and about twenty meters to the right. Stay close."

They made their way across and into the alley in mere seconds, but the few lights that lined the streets offered only shreds of illumination in the alley. Will activated his omnitool flashlight on the dimmest setting and shone it forward. The alley extended only ten meters or so before hitting a metal wall that rose into the air to provide the outer barrier of the government compound.

Shansa stepped up beside Will and dropped her arms to her side. "Kay and the others are going to jump over that?"

"They don't have to jump  _up_  that high," Eleena corrected. "They just have to jump from a rooftop and  _fall_  that far on the other side."

Shansa glanced back to see the asari wearing a teasing grin through her helmet. "Thanks for putting my concerns to rest," she remarked. "But I'm not going to complain. I'd rather not make that jump."

Will had already turned his attention to the ground to search for the hatch that led down into the sewer. "I wouldn't say that just yet. You haven't even seen what we get to do."

Kallux pointed toward a metal panel close to where the alley met the road. "There it is."

Will turned and brought the flashlight to bear on the hatch. "Right you are," he said as he approached.

Rain was pouring down from the sky and rooftops into the alley where it flowed out into the streets, leaving the hatch under an inch or two of flowing water. Will knelt beside the hatch and activated his omnitool. A quick analysis showed the hatch was protected by a relatively standard security lock that one of Tul's generic hacks would have no issues dealing with. He glanced up and looked into the dark streets as he loaded the hack. A few seconds later the small panel on the hatch blinked as the door slid open. The water flowing in the alley around them poured down into the newly opened hole.

"Damn, I didn't think about the flooding," Will muttered.

Kallux activated his omnitool flashlight and shined it down into the hole over Will's shoulder. It was at least five or ten meters to what looked like an underground river down beneath the streets.

Shansa peeked over Will's other shoulder. "Okay, jumping over the wall is starting to sound kind of nice."

"We should move fast before the water gets too deep," Kallux advised.

"Don't need to tell me twice," Will agreed as he stowed his weapon.

He turned and jumped down onto the ladder embedded in a wall of the descending tube. The water pouring around him called for caution each time he lowered a leg or hand to the next rung, but not so much as to slow his descent. The sound of flowing and sloshing water echoed around him as he moved lower and lower until his feet pierced through the churning currents and threatened to pull him off balance. He released his right arm and did a quick sweep of the sewer with his flashlight. The ladder was at the center of a circular tunnel approximately four meters in diameter. On either side of the cylindrical tube ran a pair of metal grated walkways just a few inches away from the coursing waters below. With a nimble leap he landed on the grate and grabbed onto a pipe jutting out from the wall.

"Water's rising," Will said into his comm.

He turned his flashlight back to the ladder at center of the sewer pipe to see a pair of boots appear.

"Going as fast as we can!" Shansa said from the ladder.

She gripped onto the rungs as water from the street poured down and onto her before spotting Will to the side and jumping to reach him. They locked hands as she landed to keep her stable and looked back to the ladder once again. Eleena descended moments later and ignited a biotic glow around her as she drifted from the ladder to Shansa's side. The ladder shook as Kallux came down and surveyed the sewer. After spotting the gathering point he prepared himself and jumped to the walkway where he was met by the sound of metal stress. With everyone together, Will turned and held up his light as he hurried down the metal grating in the direction of the compound.

"I'm assuming we have a way inside?" Kallux asked.

Will's eyes scanned the ceiling. "If what Fynnis found is accurate, then yes."

He glanced down after a minute or two of walking to see that the water below them had risen up and was close to submerging the walkway. Will quickened his pace. Finally, he spotted what he had hoped for: the next ladder ascending into the ceiling of the tunnel.

"There it is!" He shouted.

"About fucking time," Eleena remarked. "My feet are getting wet."

Like the one they had descended on, the ladder was piercing through the growing torrent at the center of the tunnel. Even from the edge of the walkway it was a long jump. Will glanced back to the others and gave them a firm nod before leaping out. His hands found the side of the ladder moments before the rest of his body splashed into the water. Will grunted and pulled himself up with all the strength he could muster, finally bringing one of his feet up enough to get a hold of a rung. He scurried up as quickly as possible and looked down to see Eleena igniting her biotics and making the same jump. Surrounded by the blue and purple glow she drifted gently to the center of the sewer pipe and grasped onto the ladder below Will. He looked up and continue to climb. He came to a stop at a closed hatch just like the one they entered through and raised his omnitool to begin the hack.

"Where exactly is this going to put us in that compound?" Eleena asked from below.

"On the map that Fynnis put together it looked like an alley between two of the buildings," Will answered. "Guess we'll hope they don't have security in this alley."

"Or on this hatch," she added.

" _Shansa's below Eleena,"_ Kallux reported on the comm. " _There's no room on the ladder, so hurry up. The water's up to my shins down here."_

"Still waiting on the hack," Will answered as he looked back up.

A few seconds later the hatch buzzed and slid open. Will gripped his hands onto the rungs just in time as gallons upon gallons of water began pouring down onto them. With his vision completely obstructed he forced himself upward and clawed his way out of the pipe. Will pulled himself to his knees and wiped the water from his visor as he surveyed their surroundings. They were in an alley, just as he had hoped, with a building at least five stories in height on one side and a shorter warehouse on the other. Cargo crates and containers were littered about the alley, along with floating trash and debris most likely pulled loose by the heavy rain. The only light came from the errant glow of floodlights somewhere at the end of the alley facing what looked like a courtyard. The rain was too heavy to gather any more from the immediate surroundings. He turned to the opened hatch where Eleena's hands had just appeared from below. Will reached down and grabbed a hand, which she gladly accepted and used to pull herself up and into a standing position.

"You were right about the alley," she quipped.

"Now let's hope I was right about the security," Will added with a smirk.

Shansa crawled up next and grabbed her rifle from her back as soon as she had pressed her back safely against the wall. As they waited for their fourth and final squadmate an alert appeared on Will's HUD. He opened the requesting comm channel and looked up and down the alley once again, slightly nervous.

"Will here."

" _We're in,"_ Kay's voice reported. " _The wall was no problem. We're on top of a building overlooking some landing pads."_

"See anything?" He asked.

" _Two guards in a tower about thirty or forty meters away, but it looks like they're distracted with a vid screen,"_  she replied. " _So long as they don't stare good and hard directly toward us we're virtually invisible in this cover."_

Will nodded to himself. "Good, good. Can you see anything else of the compound? We're in an alley by a pretty large building."

Kallux crawled out of the hatch and shut it behind him before reaching to his back and retrieving his weapon.

" _Yeah, we're on one of a few buildings surrounding a courtyard or parade grounds,"_ Kay reported. " _I think I see the building you're talking about. It's next to a warehouse."_

"That's the one," Will affirmed.

" _I think I see a ladder on the side of the building that leads down to a lower portion of the roof,"_  Kay continued.  _"I bet we_ _can get onto that and make it up to the top."_

Will grabbed his rifle from his back. "Is that going to help?"

" _I see a landing pad on top of the building up on the fourth or fifth floor. Gotta be a way inside from up there."_

"You all head in through the top, we'll find a way in down here," Will surmised. "Good thinking. Also, make sure Fynnis is taking care of the security systems, would you?"

" _Please, Hume, I've done this a thousand times,"_ the turian assured him.

Will furrowed his brow. "Have you been eavesdropping this entire time?"

" _If by 'eavesdropping' you mean 'strategically monitoring radio signals,' then yes."_

"Update me if anything changes," Will said with a sigh.

He switched his comm back to the squad channel and looked around the alley to see Eleena, Shansa and Kallux holding fast and watching the two entrances to their position. Kallux looked over and nodded.

"What's the situation?"

"They're heading to the roof," Will informed them. "And we need to find ourselves a way in down here."

Shansa glanced over her shoulder while still holding her rifle downrange. "Is that possible? Or even a good idea?"

"Not sure yet," Will admitted.

Eleena chuckled and shook her head. "Come on Will, show some damn conviction!"

Will rolled his eyes and raised his rifle. "You're right, what am I saying? This idea is brilliant. The best I've ever been a part of," he remarked sarcastically. "Come on, let's do some scouting."

The group turned to follow Will as he led them away from the courtyard and toward what they could only assume was the area between the compound's wall and the back of the buildings that surrounded them. He looked back at the others briefly to see Shansa was directly behind him with Eleena and Kallux bringing up the rear.

"Excited to be down here with us?" Will asked Shansa.

She smiled and shrugged. "I guess."

"If we find ourselves in trouble don't hesitate to get out of harm's way, especially if you're-"

"Ahem, Will," Eleena interrupted.

He came to a stop and turned to face them as they reached the end of the alley. Will raised a brow to Eleena curiously and waited for her to continue.

"Shansa's been bagging outlaws with me for a year now. She knows how to fight," Eleena said with a small laugh.

Will blinked and cleared his throat. "I- I know, I just want to make sure that she knows everything that-"

"Will! I can handle myself," Shansa said firmly. "You think Eleena skimped on showing me how to fight?"

He looked between the two of them and took a deep breath. "I do not."

"Fuck no you don't," Eleena said with a grin. "Between everyone here I believe I'm the only one with commando training."

"Ah yes, the commando training," Kallux chimed in. "It certainly shows in your military-like discipline."

The asari glanced back to the krogan and narrowed her eyes. "Quiet, lizard."

As Kallux chuckled in satisfaction, Will turned and stepped up to the edge of the alley. After peering around the edge of the wall, Will raised his hand and motioned for the others that he had visual contact. Like a well oiled machine, the squad pressed themselves against the wall to reduce their visibility and raised their weapons.

"Sentry about ten meters away," Will reported. "He's wandering around slowly. Weapon is stowed and it looks like he's just talking on his comm system."

"Might not be on duty," Shansa reasoned.

Eleena nodded in agreement. "Very possible. This back alley doesn't seem like the kind of place you'd send guards on a regular basis."

Will watched the humanoid figure as he looked toward the ground and nodded occasionally while moving his arms once in a while as though he was trying to make a point. He was clearly in a heated discussion with someone, but that someone was nowhere to be seen.

"Still just moving around," Will said. "Kallux, what do you think?"

The krogan grunted. "Think any of those hacks could get into his comm?"

Will ducked back into the cover of the dark alleyway and activated his omnitool. He flipped through a few folders of data and shook his head.

"Most of those require the broadcasting strength and VI interfacing you get from a ship's comm systems," Will lamented.

He leaned his head around the corner once again just far enough to get a glimpse of their target. The soldier was facing away from them, luckily, and still seemed distracted. Will narrowed his eyes and looked to the wall of the building near the man.

"There's a door back here," Will mentioned. "He must have clearance in and out."

"Any noticeable security?" Shansa asked.

Will shook his head. "None that I can see, but it's raining so damn hard I wouldn't take that as a guarantee."

His comm systems pinged softly in his ear. Will leaned back into cover and accepted the hail by opening the frequency to the entire squad.

" _We're on the roof,"_ Kay reported without introduction. " _There was a security camera, but Fynnis took care of it. He's on the door now."_

"Starting to wish we had a tech specialist with us now," Eleena mused.

" _Running into problems?"_  Kay teased.

"We have a potential way inside," Will answered.

" _Well, send me an update if you make any progress. My squad, on the other hand, will continue doing our end of the work exceptionally!"_

Shansa snorted. "Talented, yet so humble. I don't know how you do it."

" _Some people are just born with this kind of talent_ _, sis. Kay out."_

Will closed the comm channel and looked back to the others. "I think we need to go for it. See if we can knock this guy out and grab his security privileges."

Kallux nodded. "I can do it."

"You sure?" Eleena asked.

The krogan handed his cannon to the asari, which she reluctantly grabbed and struggled to hold comfortably. Kallux chuckled in amusement and stepped up to Will's side.

"You asking me if I can keep him in a chokehold?" The krogan peered around the corner to eye his prey. "Shouldn't be a problem."

Will stowed his rifle. "Alright, try to get on top of him before he even knows you're there. I'll come in when you've got him subdued and get what we need."

Kallux nodded in affirmation. "Shouldn't be hard with the storm's cover."

"Whenever you're ready," Will said.

The krogan wasted no time. He slid around the corner, slightly hunched to sneak toward the man, and held his arms up at the ready. Will placed his hands on the corner of the building and watched as Kallux slowly rose to his full height as he reached his target and wrapped an arm around his neck. The man jolted and shook his surprise as Kallux placed his victim in a perfect chokehold, the softer weave of his armor providing no protection from the tight constriction around his neck. Within ten seconds the man was limp in the krogan's arms. Will ran around the corner to where they stood in the long shadows of a dim, distant light and grabbed the guard's omnitool. He copied the data over to his own quickly and motioned Kallux toward the alley. Together they hurried back with Kallux dragging the man along. As they stepped back into the alleyway, Shansa shrugged in confusion.

"What the hell are you going to do with him now?"

"First, we're knocking out his comm systems," Will said as he grabbed the man's wrist.

He pulled off the guard's glove and the omnitool bracelet just after. Will dropped it on the ground and crushed it convincingly under his boot.

Will pointed down the alley. "Now we throw him in one of these shipping crates and lock it shut. Someone'll find him eventually."

Eleena dropped the cannon she had been holding for Kallux to the ground. She walked a few meters down the alley and tapped the control panel on one of the containers, sending the hatch on the side sliding open. She looked up to the others, stepped to the side and held out one hand to the box while planting the other on her hip. Kallux walked their prisoner over and tucked him into the crate in a sitting position before Eleena shut the crate and set the lock. All the while, Will had been looking through the data he had acquired from the guard's omnitool as Shansa looked over his shoulder.

"This guy didn't exactly try to hide his valuables," Shansa mused.

Will shook his head. "No he did not." He glanced up to Eleena and Kallux as they circled up. "I've got some security codes that should get us inside. Looks like he wasn't cleared for much, though."

"That's fine," Kallux replied. "All we need is to get in the door."

"Glad you're confident!" Eleena remarked. "Now come on, we're wasting our damn time here."

Will nodded. "Agreed."

Kallux grabbed his cannon from the ground as the others retrieved their weapons and rounded the corner to the back of the building. Will led them the short distance to the door that the guard had been standing by and looked it over carefully. As he had initially reported there were no obvious security systems in place. The door itself was so nondescript that he suspected it was rarely if ever used, especially considering that the door opened to nothing but an alley and the wall of the compound. Will raised his omnitool to the security panel and prepared to open the door.

"So what are the odds that there's a security checkpoint on the other side of that door?" Eleena joked.

"I hate guessing the odds," Shansa answered. "But I  _do_ love finding out the answer."

Will executed the command. "Good. Because that answer is coming."

The squad raised their weapons to the door with Kallux standing at the middle as door slid open to a large room drenched in darkness. A few faint lights shone somewhere to the right, providing just enough light for Will to see shapes scattered throughout the room. Will took a single step forward and into the room where he activated his weapon's flashlight and slowly swept from one side the to other. He chuckled and lowered his weapon.

"Looks like we found our way into the cafeteria kitchen," Will announced.

Eleena stepped up beside him. "Good thing we showed up in the middle of the night."

Will used the light to illuminate a path to the other side of the room where he turned on half of the kitchen lights. With the lights on Kallux stepped inside, followed by Shansa who shut the door behind them. One of the inner walls was lined with a counter and closed shutters that separated the kitchen from what could only be the mess hall. A set of double-doors also appeared to open up into the same room. Shansa was curiously examining the industrial-sized culinary equipment scattered around the room as Eleena walked up to join Will at the center of the room.

"Looks like there's only one way to go," Eleena pointed out.

"Yes it does," Will agreed. "And I wouldn't be surprised if the mess hall had security cameras."

Eleena gave him a sideways glance. "Maybe we should check up with the others."

He nodded and activated his omnitool. "Kay, you there?"

The answer came a few seconds later in the form of a whisper. " _Yep. What's the situation?"_

"We're inside," Will informed her. "But we're in the kitchen. I'm worried we might hit security moving any further."

" _I've already duped a few cameras on our end,"_  Fynnis interjected. " _Turns out they want to keep an eye on who comes and goes from the roof."_

"So where are you now?" Eleena asked.

" _Moving toward the server room,"_  Kay answered. " _Oh, we should probably send you the floor plans we stole off of that sentry's omnitool…"_

"That would make this a tad easier," Kallux mumbled.

" _Sent,"_ Fynnis said. " _Since we're almost at the server node you may just want to hold where you are. We may be able to pull everything we need, or at the very least I can get into the security systems for you."_

"Alright, we'll wait here," Will said with a sigh.

" _We'll update you when we've got something,"_  Kay said.

Will looked back to the others. Kallux had already set his weapon down on one of the tables at the center of the room while Shansa was looking through pantries on the wall.

"Sounds like things are going well for them," Kallux remarked.

"Quite well," Will grumbled.

Eleena holstered her weapon and gave him a playful nudge. "Not used to being on the B-team?"

"B-team?" He scoffed. "Just because we don't have a hacker with us does not mean we're the B-team."

"I dunno. It seems like they're doing pretty much all the work," Shansa chuckled.

"Hey, if this was a combat mission we'd be doing just as much as they are," Will countered.

Eleena put her hand on his shoulder. "But it's not, is it? I remember you wanting to do this quiet and clean."

"Yeah, yeah." Will stowed his rifle on his back. "Sorry you've been hauling that gun around for nothing, Kallux."

"I wouldn't apologize until we're back on the ship," Kallux reminded him.

"Hey! Anyone want a seela fruit?" Shansa called excitedly.

Will looked over to see her standing in the doorway of a walk-in refrigerator holding a few of the fruits in her gloved hand. He stared for a moment before snorting in amusement and shaking his head.

"I don't know about them, but I sure as hell do," Eleena said as she reached over and locked the double-doors leading into the mess hall.

Shansa grinned and walked forward to set the handful of fruit on the table beside Kallux's cannon. Will, Eleena and Shansa reached up and removed their helmets before each grabbing a seela fruit for themselves and biting in. Will sighed happily. It had been well over a month since Kay had rescued him, but he was still relishing the luxury that was food outside of the mine. He glanced over to Kallux and raised a brow.

"You want one?"

The krogan shook his head. "I'll pass. Someone's gonna have to shoot back if we have unexpected guests."

"Mm. "Shansa smiled and shut her eyes as she took her third bite. "Okay, but you're missing out."

"I'm also not a big fan of sweet food," Kallux added.

Eleena crossed one of her arms across her chest as she lifted the other bring the fruit to her mouth. "Now I don't know if I can trust your opinion on  _anything_."

As Will finished off the last bit of fruit before the core a ping rang out from his omnitool. He opened a channel on local broadcast and threw the remnants of the seela fruit into a disposal on the wall.

"Will here."

" _Aaand I'm in the security system,"_  Fynnis announced confidently. " _I think I see the mess hall you were talking about. First floor, right?"_

"That's it," Will replied.

" _Excellent."_ The turian hummed to himself for a few seconds. " _All the cameras on level one are looping the past ten seconds of their feed now. Should be fine to cross through. And you're going to have to, because I've hit a bit of a brick wall."_

"Do tell," Will prompted as he retrieved and donned his helmet.

" _I'm trying to get into their network archives, but they've got some pretty odd security going on,"_ Fynnis explained. " _There are two external networks in a constant loop with this database all updating each other on current activity. Looks like you have to pass through security locally on all three network nodes before you can get into the archives."_

"Can't you get around it?" Will asked.

Fynnis sighed. " _Of course I can get around it. But I don't know what kind of safeguards they have in place on the other networks to detect a bypass. I'd have to be inside the node to know."_

"So you can get around it, you just don't want to," Will jested.

" _It'd be an unnecessary risk. But I think I know of an alternative, which is where your team comes in."_

Will looked back to Shansa and Eleena, who had already re-equipped their helmets and retrieved their weapons as they listened in.

"Go on," Will prompted.

" _I need a facility-wide power failure,"_ Fynnis explained. " _Then I can reboot this node with the power from my omnitool and look for an exploit in the system's boot sequence."_

"Can't you cut the power?" Shansa asked. "Tul was able to do it all the time."

" _Yes and no. The power systems that I have access to on their utility network would die, but there are hard-wired backups that would kick in."_

"So you want us to cut the backups while you cut the main power?" Kallux extrapolated.

" _Correct. I've marked the generator room on the map I sent you. Let me know when you're there. Fynnis out."_

Will rolled his eyes. "I guess we're doing what  _he_ says now."

Eleena grabbed her SMG and walked to the door. "Don't worry, Will, you're still the boss," she said patronizingly.

"If you say so," he said, playing along with her jab. "Everyone ready?"

Kallux readied his cannon. "After you."

Shansa pulled her rifle from her back and skipped up to the door. "Ready as ever!"

Will reached to the door and sent it sliding open. The lights in the mess hall were dim, but not enough to harm visibility. He glanced up to where he spotted a slowly panning security camera on the wall. Trusting in Fynnis to have taken care of it as he said, Will hurried forward and across the room to another set of doors. He pulled up the map as he did and did a quick scan to find their target. Out to the left, right at the first corner, left after the second door, right into the stairwell. He committed the instructions to memory and nodded to himself.

"Everyone stay with me, we're going to move fast," Will said over the comm channel.

"Right behind you, Will," Eleena replied.

He took a deep breath as they reached the door and ordered it open. Will leaned out and glanced to the left and right. Seeing no one, he darted through the door to the left and lifted his rifle into firing position as he jogged. He slowed as he reached the first corner and peered around the right. A second later he had pulled himself back and cursed under his breath.

"Two people," Will reported.

"Armed?" Shansa asked.

He shook his head. "Didn't look like it. They weren't facing us." Will leaned toward the corner again and poked out just far enough to see.

"Okay, they're walking down the hall away from us," he said.

The group went silent. They could hear the soft echoes of voices as the two targets spoke to one another. Will watched as they nodded and laughed before stopping at a door and stepping through. He let out a sigh of relief and motioned for the others to follow once again. Together they turned into the hallway and hurried in the direction their bogeys had been walking. They stayed on course and turned left into another hallway after the second door. A few meters down the hall Will stopped at a door and tapped the control panel, making it slide open to reveal a utilitarian stairwell. He ushered the others inside before stepping in and locking the door behind them.

"Okay, the backup generators should be down on the first sub-level," Will said.

As he led them down the stairs Shansa cleared her throat to catch his attention. "And how are we going to disable them?"

"Hadn't gotten that far yet," Will admitted.

As they stepped off the stairs and into the dark basement, Will activated his flashlight and made a quick sweep of the room.

"There," he said to himself.

Two power generators emanating a blue light from slits in the top sat humming on the far side of the room. Will stowed his weapon and held up his omnitool flashlight as he approached them and opened a channel to Fynnis.

"Hey, Fynnis, we're at the generators. How do we disable them?"

" _That's a good question-"_

Before he could answer, Kallux stepped around Will to the series of thick cables running between the generators and wall.

"Might want to step back," he advised.

As Will did, the krogan ignited the omniblades on his weapon and slashed them through the cables, severing them instantly. Electricity from the cables cracked and popped furiously as they hung from the back of the generators, causing everyone to take a few steps back.

"There you go," Kallux said with a nod.

"Uh, backups are down," Will reported.

" _Let me confirm… yes. No readings from the backup source. Okay, get ready everyone. I'm going to send the whole facility dark. I suggest we prepare to exfil the second I finish pulling this node's data."_

" _Can do. We're ready,"_ Kay replied.

"Same here," Will affirmed. "We'll start making our way to the exit now."

" _Good idea. Everyone get ready."_ After a short pause Fynnis continued. " _Lights out!"_

The dim light that filled the basement cut out instantly, leaving the backup generators' glow as the only source of illumination. The squad fell into motion and activated their flashlights as they ran for the stairs. As Will reached the top he reached for the door's control panel, only to have Eleena's hand grab his shoulder and pull him to a stop.

He furrowed his brow and looked back over his shoulder. "What?"

"How are getting out of here exactly?" She asked.

"The same way we came in," he replied, slightly confused.

The asari raised a brow. "Through the sewer that was very rapidly filling with torrential water?"

Will froze in place for a moment. "Shit."

"Then we can go to the roof with the others!" Shansa exclaimed. "Come one, we don't have much time!"

Will nodded in agreement and opened the door with an application of power from his omnitool. It opened to the same hallway they had entered through, now pitch-black and filled with the echoes of shouts of confusion. He activated his omnitool and noted that a stairwell leading up to the top floor was located just down the hall.

" _You're coming up here?"_  Kay asked through the comm.

"Yes! Wait for us before you leave!" Shansa answered.

" _Still copying this data, so that shouldn't be a problem,"_ Fynnis replied.

The cones of light from the squad's omnitool flashlights danced around the hall as they ran with Will leading the way. Upon reaching the door to the stairwell he forced it open and began up the first flight of stairs, only to hear footsteps echoing from somewhere above them.

"What the hell is going on?" A muffled voice asked.

"I don't know," a second responded. "Where's the auxiliary power?"

Will continued upward and upon reaching the second landing nearly ran into two batarians in jumpsuits that were hurriedly heading down. They jumped to the side in shock and raised their hands.

"Keep going," Will ordered to the squad.

As they continued up the next flight, Will grabbed the omnitool bracelets from the two batarians and turned to run up after the others. He crushed them in his palm and tossed the crumpled metal to the ground. After a minute or so of climbing they reached the final landing. Eleena, who had taken lead after Will stopped, raised her omnitool and fed the door power to open in and let them through to yet another empty hall.

"We're on the top floor," Will reported.

" _We're done!"_ Fynnis shouted. " _Heading for the stairs to the roof now!"_

Shansa had already opened the building layout. "Follow me," she called while turning and running to the left.

After a few turns they reached a door at the end of a long hall where four lights lifted and illuminated them. Will raised his flashlight in return to see Kay standing at the front of the other group, clearly relieved to see them.

"Fancy seeing you here," T'Lees quipped.

"Fancy as hell," Fynnis added. "Come on, door's open."

One by one they stomped their way up the stairs to the roof where they were once again met by the heavy, blinding storm. Kay sprinted to the opposite end of the rooftop, her boots splitting the standing water violently as she slid to a stop and stowed her rifle in one elegant motion. She spun and jumped over the railing, grabbing onto a ladder and sliding down out of sight. Will held up his rifle and waved the others along as he watched the door behind them. As Kallux was positioning himself on the ladder a shot rang out, barely audible over the rain. Will hurried to the side and looked down into the courtyard to see a handful of soldiers taking aim as the other shouted to someone on the comm-link.

"Hostiles below!" Will reported.

He brought his rifle into firing position and pulled the trigger for the first time since they had landed. The exposed soldiers below scattered after only a few shots.

"Will, come on!" Eleena called.

Will looked over his shoulder to see the asari hanging onto the ladder, waiting to descend. She had waited until the others had gone and beckoned him over. Will stowed his rifle and ran toward the ladder as she began to climb down. As he jumped over the side of the ledge gunshots began impacting around him. The sound of a biotic field warping into existence rang out below him as Eleena threw an attack toward the origin of the shots. Together they scrambled to down three stories to the lower level where the others had already begun jumping roof to roof toward the edge of the wall that served as their way out. Bullets impacted all around the eight of them as they ran, jumped, ran, jumped until reaching the final rooftop. Kay was the first to leap over and out of sight, followed by Ralliston, Shansa, T'Lees, Kallux, Fynnis and finally Eleena and Will. They landed in a flooded alleyway and sprinted away from the compound that remained ominously shrouded in darkness.

Will grabbed Fynnis by the shoulder as they ran. "Did we get it?"

"I got everything," the turian replied. "Now we find out if that everything has what we need."


	33. Chapter 33

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 33**

_**ISV Trueshot, in orbit over Lorek** _

Will let out a deep sigh as he adjusted his sitting position on the floor of the engineering compartment. With his eyes closed and chin resting on his chest, he was perfectly content to doze while the others gathered in the crew's quarters for a meal. He was starting to get hungry, but he wasn't in the mood to eat. Not yet at least. Removing his armor and feeling the air on his skin was something he relished every single time they came back from a mission. Will couldn't remember the last time he had taken a few minutes to sit and appreciate that sensation after having just removed the constricting body-weave and composite plating. Unfortunately, it wasn't hard to let relaxation lull one a step further into a snooze. The sound of a door opening broke over the steady hum of the FTL drive and sent Will's eyes fluttering open and out of the light sleep he had drifted into.

"There you are," Eleena said as the door pinged and locked behind her.

He blinked a few times and focused his eyes to see her walking toward him from the door.

"Sorry, just needed to unwind for a minute," Will said as he sat up.

She came to a stop in front of him and crossed her arms. "Everyone's looking for you."

Will's eyes widened as he scrambled to his feet. "Why? What's happening?"

Eleena reached up and put a hand on Will's shoulder. "Relax, Will. We were just having dinner and didn't want you to miss it."

"Oh." He took a deep breath. "Oh, right. No, it's okay. I was going to eat later."

The asari tilted her head curiously. "You alright?"

Will held quiet for a few seconds before leaning back against the wall and letting out a small sigh as he sat back down. Eleena knelt in front of him and tilted her head to the side.

"Not sure if that's an answer," she teased.

He chuckled. "Sorry. I guess 'no' would be the answer you're looking for."

"No?" Eleena furrowed her brow. "What's wrong? We just got into a government facility, stole what we needed, and got out without a hitch. I thought you'd be bouncing off the walls."

"I thought I would be too," Will muttered. "But I'm just too tired."

She frowned. "If you're tired you should try sleeping in a bed. I know the engineering compartment is comfortable and everything…"

"Not that kind of tired," Will restated. "Since the second Kay rescued me I've been waiting to feel the itch again. That  _instinctual_  desire to jump into a fight just because it needed to be fought. But every time I think about it now I just…" He shook his head and closed his eyes. "I feel like I just need a little peace and quiet. Is that weird?"

"It's not weird," Eleena replied flatly.

She reached forward and brushed some of his hair from his face.

"But what about Janson? If you want some peace, why are you keeping this up?"

Will opened his eyes. "Same reason I couldn't sleep in the dead of winter with the windows open."

Eleena nodded softly. "Are you sure closing the window is going to make everything okay?"

"No. But what else am I going to do?" Will asked.

Eleena dropped to her knees and cupped his cheek in her palm. "True enough. Why don't we talk about something else?"

Will raised a brow. "Like what?"

"Anything."

As Will's eyes met her's he felt a warm relief begin to settle over him. The strain in his chest and gut slowly released as her lips curled into a smile.

"Anything sounds nice," Will answered.

Eleena turned and sat beside him. "Good."

He leaned his head back and looked at the ceiling. "You really like this ship," he said bluntly.

The asari laughed. "Yeah, it's a nice ship."

"I'm a little jealous of upper deck, though," Will admitted. "Kay and Fynnis have their own quarters!"

"I've had my own bunk a few times," Eleena recalled. "It was pretty great being able to decorate just how I wanted. Really made it feel like home."

Will struggled to hold back a grin. "Oh, I bet. If you've still got them I'd love to see some of those flow capacitor pin-up posters."

She gave him a small jab with her elbow. "Oh shut up. You'd be wise not to make fun of the person who keeps the ship flying." Eleena bit her lip for a second. "And I only had  _two_ main drive-thruster model replicas, thank you."

He snorted in amusement and found her hand with his. "Only two?"

"Well I had some more replicas when I lived on Cyone," she admitted. "Those were ships though. Not the actual drive-cores."

"Oh, of course not," Will chuckled. "That would just be silly."

Eleena narrowed her eyes and gave him a sideways glance. "Are you trying to push my buttons?"

"It is pretty fun," he admitted.

After a small pause he turned to her and smiled.

"How was it growing up on Cyone?" Will asked. "You only ever tell me little bits and pieces."

Eleena shrugged. "I haven't told you much about it because there isn't much to tell. I had a pretty average childhood, Will."

"That can't be true," Will laughed. "Out on a colony world?"

"A colony world that sees more traffic from the asari fleet than any planet but Thessia," she reminded him. "It's not like Cyone is out on the frontier."

"That alone sounds pretty unique," he said. "All Arvuna's known for is fish and biofuel algae. But constantly getting to see the asari fleet? That sounds pretty great."

She smiled and looked toward the ceiling. "It wasn't just the asari fleet. We had ships from everywhere. Cyone's the biggest fuel hub on that side of the galaxy. I usually only got to see the ones that came down to the drydocks on the surface, though."

"Ah, right. You grew up with your dad on the surface, right?"

"Yep. We lived right next to one of the biggest service ports on the planet. When I was a kid I'd run down there every single day after my lessons to watch for a little while until my father's shift finished." She let out a sigh. "Meanwhile, my  _mother_  worked on the orbital platforms and…"

Will raised a brow as she trailed off. "And?"

"And that's all I'm going to say about her," Eleena remarked cleanly.

"If you say so."

"I do say so," she declared.

The two of them looked to one another for a short moment before leaning into each other and pressing their lips together in a soft kiss.

Will chuckled as he pulled back a few seconds later. "Did we already run out of the anything we were talking about?"

She gave him a sly grin. "No. I was just thinking we might talk about nothing for a little while instead."

"Nothing?" He asked knowingly.

Eleena turned and lifted one leg over his to straddle his lap with her hands draped around his neck. "I could see a few words here and there, but for the most part…"

Will placed his hands on her waist and leaned forward to push them into yet another kiss, this one much heavier than before. He breathed heavily as he did, surprised at how far back in his mind all of his worries had retreated since she had walked in. It was probably her plan the entire time, he mused to himself.

* * *

An hour later as they lay dozing on the floor of the engine room Will's omnitool chirped from a nearby pile of clothing that had been haphazardly thrown to the floor. He forced his eyes open and groaned as Eleena pushed herself up to a sitting position on her knees.

"Fuck, I was just starting to drift off," she muttered.

"Yeah. Me too," Will said quietly.

Eleena frowned and placed her hand on his. "Will."

He looked back to her and tilted his head. "Yeah?"

The asari gave his hand a soft squeeze. "You know, it's okay to be scared."

He conjured a confused look. "What do you mean? I'm not-"

"Come on, Will," she said with a smirk. "I know how you're feeling right now." Eleena tapped the side of her head.

"I guess you do," Will sighed.

"Things will be okay. Trust me," she said.

He did.

"I know, El."

Will took a small breath and leaned over to plant a soft kiss on her lips before reluctantly reaching over to grab his omnitool bracelet and slide it onto his wrist.

"Mmm, I should get a bed in here," Eleena thought aloud as she grabbed her first article of clothing.

"In here? Really?" He raised a brow and activated the omnitool.

She chuckled and shrugged. "Unless you can keep everyone out of the bunkroom whenever we're in the mood."

"I wouldn't worry about that," Will mumbled. "I don't even know if I want to stay on this ship after we see this through."

Eleena tilted her head as she pulled on her shirt. "Something wrong with the  _Trueshot?_ "

"Nothing at all. But as long as Kay's the captain I can't see me finding that downtime I want while I'm on her crew," he answered as he pulled on his pants.

The asari nodded in consideration. "She does seem like a bit of a troublemaker."

"I don't know if she  _makes_ trouble, but she sure as hell doesn't avoid it," Will remarked while buttoning his shirt. "Actually, that's not entirely true…"

Eleena snorted and pointed to his wrist. "What was the message?"

Will shook his head. "Oh, right." He skimmed a brief message and closed out the omnitool. "Sounds like Fynnis is beginning to comb the data from that server."

"So we've got some time on our hands," she said.

"You do," he corrected. "I'm going to see what I can do to help out with his searching. I really owe it to him."

Will turned to face her as she did the same. Their hands found each others and held for a few moments as they leaned into one another and shared a soft kiss.

"I've got a few tweaks to make on the Kodiak," Eleena said to herself. "Guess I'll take care of those."

As she began to pull her hands back she was stopped by Will's slightly tighter grip. Eleena looked to him and raised a brow expectantly.

"I love you, Eleena," Will said.

She smiled and squeezed his hand. "I know, Will. And I love you." Eleena winked. "Told you I'd say it more often."

"And all it took was dying for a year and a half," Will joked.

He loosened his grip and winked as he turned for the door. A short walk down the hall found him at the crew's quarters where Fynnis sat at the dining table with a number of holopads spread out before him. The turian glanced up briefly as Will entered, but quickly turned his attention back to his work.

"Just diving in," Fynnis informed him. "I wouldn't expect anything for a little while."

"I know," Will said as he retrieved a cup of water. "I'd like to help if I can."

The turian clicked his mandibles. Will suspected it was out of amusement or surprise, but he couldn't tell. Perhaps both.

"Sure you can help. I've already parsed everything to do with the Blue Suns and Yalrek. Now it's just a matter of looking through all these references for something useful."

Will took a sip of his drink and sat down beside Fynnis. "Great. Where do I start?"

The turian slid one holopad over to him and nodded. "Start at the last document in that directory and work your backwards. I just started at the beginning."

"Sounds good." Will let out a sigh and flipped to the final document. "This one's a security briefing on the threat of Blue Suns activity on nearby planets. That's not promising for the 'Blue Suns and Lorek Warlords cooperating' theory."

"I'd say it could go either way," Fynnis argued. "Always better to keep tabs on potential threats. Even if they're currently friendly."

"Excellent point," Will conceded as he began reading through the document. "By the way, where is everyone else?"

"I think Kay and Shansa are on the upper deck talking. Ralliston, T'Lees and Kallux were in the cargo bay the last I saw," he shook his head. "Not sure about Eleena."

Will smiled to himself. "She's around."

The two of them fell quiet for the next few minutes as they read through the documents Fynnis had compiled. Most of them were incident reports, though a few seemed to indicate trade agreements and even security contracts. Will marked those of potential interest before continuing on. He looked over to Fynnis after a few minutes to see the turian still concentrating intensely as he worked.

Will cleared his throat and nodded. "Hey, Fynnis, I don't know if I've told you this yet, but thanks for the help."

The turian shrugged. "It's not a problem, Hume. I like you. You're a good person. And you've made Kay a little more sane since we found you. I appreciate that."

He laughed and shook his head. "I'm glad she's committed as well."

"Wouldn't be hard to get her on board with hunting down a slaver," Fynnis mentioned as he returned to reading.

"I understand the feeling," Will mentioned.

As they continued their search the door slid open and allowed Ralliston to walk into the room while stretching his arms. He perked up upon seeing Will and Fynnis and gave him a curt nod.

"Oh, sorry, didn't realize you were working in here," he said.

"Your fine," Will assured him.

Ralliston continued to the kitchen to find something to eat. "Making any progress?"

"Little bit," Fynnis replied. "We're actually burning through these this data pretty quickly."

The other turian sighed thankfully. "Good. Because I'm getting a little antsy."

"Antsy?" Will asked.

"It's about time we put this crew's firepower to use," Ralliston explained. "And Kallux feels the same way."

"He's been itching to tear into the Blue Suns for years now," Will said with a sigh. "But the RMC was never ready. Or so he said."

Ralliston grabbed a nutrient bar from a near-empty box. "Well it's now or never. At least for the RMC."

Will raised a brow. "What do you mean?"

"Look at our numbers, Hume," the turian answered. "The Blue Suns have nearly wiped the Collective out and we're not getting any stronger."

Will shook his head. "Yeah, I know that. But why is it now or never for the RMC?"

Ralliston chewed and swallowed the first bite of his nutrient bar. "Kallux hasn't talked to you about…" He stopped as Will continued to give him a confused look. "You should probably talk to him."

"I guess I should," Will mumbled. "Fynnis, can you handle things for now?"

"Sure. I'll call everyone up to the operations deck when I've finished," the turian replied.

Will nodded and stood from the table. "Thank you."

He quickly walked from the crew's quarters to the cargo bay where he saw Kallux standing at his workbench and T'Lees meditating on one of the sparring mats with a biotic glow around her. Will made his way to the krogan and came to a stop at his side where Kallux glanced over and nodded in acknowledgment.

"Hume."

"What's she doing?" Will asked as he motioned toward T'Lees.

The krogan shrugged. "Biotic focusing technique, I think."

"Ahh, right." He looked to either side and cleared his throat. "So, uh, Ralliston said I should talk to you about the Collective," Will said. "Not sure what else to say."

The krogan placed the piece of armor plating in his hands onto the surface of the bench and turned to face Will.

"It wasn't anything I'd decided on for sure. But since Callisus shined some light on how big Janson's operation is I've been thinking about how the few of us are going to fight him," Kallux explained.

"That's something I'm concerned about too," Will agreed. "We've taken stupid risks in the past and I'm not about to take a chance on this. We'll only have one opprotunity to take Janson by surprise before he knows we're after him. Hence the importance of the mission we just completed to gather intel."

Kallux nodded. "I completely agree. Which is why, when the time comes, I'll be calling on the RMC to help us get this done right."

Will narrowed his eyes. "Calling on them how?"

"The Collective has five ships, and approximately seventy-five able bodied soldiers still reporting as active and ready," Kallux said calmly. "I've already spoken to Malylen and she agrees. I think we should hit the Blue Suns with everything we've got."

"Kallux, are you suggesting a full-blown assault? The crew's strength is in infiltration. Getting in, hitting them in all the vital places, and getting out," Will argued. "And besides… I don't need the entire Collective risking their lives for  _my_  vendetta."

"There's no reason we can't have an infiltration coinciding with a traditional assault. As for this being a vendetta? You know as well as I do that the RMC isn't going to survive much longer," Kallux said angrily. "The Blue Suns saw the threat we posed and nearly put an end to it in one swift blow. We're a fraction of our former strength and as long as we're in their sights we'll never be able to rebuild." He paused for a moment and looked down in what looked like a hint of shame. "I'll be calling the order to disband soon, but we might as well make our last act a good one."

Will frowned. "I've made it perfectly clear that I don't want to bring anyone into this against their will."

"The people we have left are the ones that truly believe in what the Collective stands for," Kallux explained. "People who were members of the RMC before I started the movement to militarize. They know that if Janson keeps the Blue Suns on this path unchecked…" The krogan shook his head. "I'll be asking for volunteers only. Everyone will know the risks."

Will crossed his arms and looked to the side as he considered the proposal. Moving in to assassinate one person did have its inherent risks. A full attack on the Blue Suns might even lead Janson to believe that there was no explicit target, leaving him vulnerable. He nodded to himself and looked up to Kallux.

"Okay. But how are we going to organize this? Five ships and dozens of troops… I can't keep all of that in line," Will sighed.

"No need," Kallux reassured him. "I've got officers. They can handle the assault while we break off and do what needs to be done with Janson."

The sound of a biotic field dissipating accompanied that of T'Lees letting out a soft grunt as she rose to her feet and made her way over to where Kallux and Will stood. They turned to face her as she placed her hands behind her back and raised her chin.

"I overheard," she began.

"Figured those biotics weren't soundproof," Will joked.

The asari took a small breath. "So we are attacking them head-on?"

"Nothing's final. But it's looking that way," Kallux answered.

T'Lees smiled. "I can see about getting some emergency shipments from my production facilities routed to Omega."

Will blinked in surprise. "T'Lees… Fayneer, that's not necessary."

"Necessary? Perhaps not. But I have seen what the Collective has to fight with, and they can do much better," she argued. "Some of my finest weaponry would go a long way in a fight against the Blue Suns."

"You're going to just give your guns to my troops?" Kallux asked, unconvinced.

"Yes." She grinned as her eye looked to the side, pretending to be in deep thought. "Though I expect a sizable cut from whatever we are able to plunder from this Blue Suns operation. I do have to keep my business interests in mind."

Will smirked. "There it is."

T'Lees shrugged. "This is just an offer. A suggestion."

"It's a good one," Will quickly assured her. "Make the call. Whatever we find there, you're welcome to it."

She nodded. "Do not make it the priority. The mission comes first."

Will smiled appreciatively. "Thanks, Fayneer."

A ping rang out from each of their omnitools. Will looked down and saw the sender.

"Looks like we're headed up to the operations center," Will said.

T'Lees tilted her head. "For what?"

"To plan this attack," he answered.

* * *

Will looked around the room at the collected crew. Ralliston and T'Lees stood at the end of the table, both watching carefully as Fynnis finished loading up the holoprojector. Shansa and Eleena stood at the other end talking quietly to one another. To his left and right were Kallux and Kay, respectively, both with their arms crossed as they patiently waited for Fynnis to give Will the go-ahead to start. The projector finally blinked to life to display the moon of Yalrek as well as a much smaller object on the surface with another floating synchronously a few miles above it.

"There we have it," Fynnis said. "So who wants to start this off?"

"That'd be me," Will announced as he stepped forward and waited a moment. "First, we're going to run down everything we know. From what we've gathered, this Blue Suns outpost is a shipyard that serves as the home port for over twenty vessels. I'd guess that only a handful are present at any given time, however. We know there are a lot of people stationed there, probably more than a hundred, but no exact numbers."

"Yet," Fynnis added. "But I'll get to what I found on the network later."

Will nodded, relieved to hear the turian's optimism. "We know that their network uses old encryption keys that we now have access to, thanks to Fynnis and Vayren grabbing them off of our prisoner's omnitool. And finally, we know that Janson's flagship  _Prospect_  is berthed there. Now, that may seem like a lot, but I didn't want to commit to anything without more solid intel. Which is why we were down on Lorek last night." He turned to Fynnis. "Now the question is, what did we get from it?"

"A lot, it turns out," the turian answered. "I found contracts between the Shal Regime, Lorek's puppet government setup by the Hegemony, and the Blue Suns. Apparently the Blue Suns are free to operate the shipyard they built but are obligated to provide security for Lorek's moons. Pirates were causing problems, it seems."

"Security?" Kay asked. "The Blue Suns are providing  _security?_  That's ironic."

"Less so than you might think," Ralliston informed her. "The Blue Suns are, on official records at least, a private security firm."

"Exactly right," Fynnis affirmed. "There were some other stipulations, though. The most significant being that they had to provide with Regime with all the blueprints for their base."

"The blueprints?" Shansa repeated. "For the entire station?"

The turian nodded once. "That's right."

Eleena laughed excitedly. "That's incredible! How detailed are they?"

"Very," Fynnis answered. "It's about as ideal a situation as you can imagine for planning an infiltration."

"But what about the personnel?" T'Lees inquired. "Was their strength not one of the concerns?"

The turian nodded. "Which brings me to the last bit. I found a few years worth of shipping invoices. Looks like the Blue Suns are buying their food through a government subsidized company on Lorek. I did a quick analysis of the rations. They're broken down into short and long-term perishables. Obviously the long-term is for resupplying deployed ships, while the short-term is for those stationed at the base itself. Given the amount of food they're receiving, I'd put their permanent staff at probably a around a hundred and fifty people."

Shansa bit her lip nervously. "That seems like a lot."

"Keep in mind they probably have a lot of non-combat personnel as well," Eleena reminded her. "The base exists to service the Blue Suns fleet for this system."

"Even so, that is not an insignificant number," T'Lees argued. "We must exercise extreme caution. We don't want to repeat our attack on Cerberus."

"That's not going to happen," Will reminded T'Lees. "Because we're not alone this time." He glanced over to Kallux.

The krogan straightened up. "The RMC is going to join the attack in full force," he announced to the surprised faces of everyone but Will and T'Lees.

"Full force?" Kay repeated.

"I don't know the exact number yet, but we have dozens of troops who are ready to punish the Blue Suns for what they did to us," Kallux explained. "They, along with five ships, will be complimenting our mission."

"So… this is going to be a bit bigger than I thought," Shansa said.

Will nodded. "Yes. Kallux sent out the call to arms just a few minutes ago. The remnants of the Collective that intends to join us will be mobilizing and loading onto the RMC fleet."

Fynnis laughed. "I guess I can throw out the plan of attack I was working on. I wasn't planning on having a damned  _army_  at our disposal."

"They're not at our disposal," Will quickly reiterated. "We still need to be careful and do this the smart way."

"Of course, of course," Fynnis said quickly. "Still, this means we have much broader options."

"Those being?" Ralliston inquired.

"Before our mission would be dependent on an undetected infiltration," Fynnis answered. "But if we are launching an all out attack, we can just use the cover of battle to mask our true intentions. We can plan our infiltration to occur when the battle is in full swing."

Will nodded in agreement. "Exactly what Kallux and I were thinking."

Kallux stepped forward again. "The RMC's officers and tacticians can handle coordinating my people, we should focus on how we're going to find Janson."

"He runs the place, right?" Eleena asked. "If he does, the prick will probably be calling the shots during their defense."

"And the station's network is weak," Shansa recalled. "We have those security keys from Callisus."

Fynnis pointed to her. "Precisely. During the early moments of the battle we can get into their network and track down Janson."

T'Lees cleared her throat. "Excuse me if I am overlooking something, but how precisely are we to know when Janson is even at the base?"

Fynnis leaned forward and began flipping through some files. "I think I have something that can help." He brought up a document. "Here. One of the protocols stipulates that the Blue Suns vessels stationed on Yalrek must transmit an IFF signal for the Regime when in the area."

Kay shook her head. "So? How do we know which signal is the IFF?"

Fynnis reached up and placed his fingers under his chin in consideration. "That I do not know."

The group looked up to the holoprojector for a few moments as they all thought in silence. Will watched the simulated rotation of the moon and the small representation of the outpost on its surface. He could feel the growing desire to get in and finish what Janson had started by throwing him into the mine nearly two years ago.

"Can we identify how the signals look on our scope?" Shansa asked.

The turian nodded. "We can identify like-signals between vessels, for the most part. But if they are encrypted we won't know what data they're transmitting."

"Either way, that would just tell us which ships belong to the Blue Suns," Will pointed out.

"But we know a bit about his ship, right?" Eleena asked. "It's an old turian destroyer. Can't be too many of those around. If we spot one of those headed to the base it's gotta be him."

Kallux nodded. "That's not a bad point. If we can establish a scanning position that keeps us out of the range of suspicion, but close enough to get a solid silhouette, we might be able to identify his ship."

"That's true," Fynnis said. "I'll see if I can find a database of turian warship silhouettes. If I can, we've probably got our in."

Will looked to Kallux. "We need to get in touch with Malylen and your remaining officers as soon as possible. Coordination is going to be key if we want to minimize causalities."

The krogan nodded. "I'll see what I can do."

"What about us?" Kay asked. "What are we doing until then?"

Will took a deep breath. That was a good question. Everyone here was about to risk their lives for him, in some way. He looked around the group before looking down to the floor.

"Whatever you want," he answered. "There are going to be a lot of people shouting orders whenever this happens. And I can promise that won't be long. But until then, you answer to yourselves. Sound fair?"

The others nodded in affirmation.

"Good. And, everyone…" Will looked up and let out a small sigh. "Thank you."


	34. Chapter 34

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 34**

_**ISV Trueshot, Fathar System** _

Will was always unable to sleep when he was nervous. Tonight was no different. And if the past few nights were any indication it seemed like it might be something he would have to get used to. As the rest of the crew slept and rested for the inevitable fight he wandered around the ship as quietly as possible, somehow scared that he might wake someone up. The operations center was quiet with idle monitors casting blue and orange light across the deck. Will came to stop by the holoprojector at the center and wondered to himself if the signal they were waiting for would come in a minute or a week. The RMC fleet was holding near a remote comm-buoy, waiting for the call to set their attack in motion. A long conference with Malylen and the rest of the surviving RMC officers had solidified their plan and command structure.

Malylen would lead the Collective ships from the RMC flagship,  _Aberrant._ It was an impressive ship, though that was no surprise to the members of the crew that had hunted Narenthus Antarian. It was a modern vessel both armed and armored as well as many warships. Kallux had done an excellent job maintaining the ship after they had captured it, but she had seen surprisingly little use in the two years since then. Most of the RMC missions that required starship support were handled by the other four more disposable ships in the fleet. The first was  _Resolute Inquest_ , an old asari scouting vessel that had been converted into a skirmisher that shined in tight ship-to-ship combat. The second and third were two batarian frigates that had been purchased from a salvage yard and retrofitted with more modern weaponry and armor. The two ships,  _Granther_ and  _Mal'Delin,_ were apparently among a few hundred ships rapidly produced by the Batarian Hegemony over a century ago, only to be curiously retired and left in the Terminus System after roughly a dozen years of service. The fourth and final compliment to the flagship  _Aberrant_ was a strange design that Will hadn't recognized in the slightest. Eleena was quick to inform him that the ship,  _Quindel_ , was of volus make, and a rare combat vessel at that. Malylen and the other captains were confident in the fleet's chances against a large number of docked Blue Suns vessels, and Will had no choice but to trust them. They had seen the same intel he had.

The main ground team was to disembark from the five ships in their Kodiaks as soon as they were at a safe distance to reach the station. Two of the shuttles would head to the orbital docking station while the other three would join the shuttle flown from the  _Trueshot_  to land on the surface. The space station assault team would be led by Robert Aldeer, one of the RMC's most senior officers and someone Will had met just briefly during the attack on the Collective's base of operations. Two more officers, Nalsus Tandrian and Nellie "Nel" Dissanayake, would lead the groups that landed on the surface with Will leading the final squad comprised of the  _Trueshot_  crew. Ralliston had volunteered to work as the coordinator for the ground troops, an offer that seemed to genuinely surprise Kallux but was met with allowance. After a day or so adrift and waiting they had managed to rendezvous with the cargo vessel T'Lees had called in, giving not only the ground teams but the ship crews upgraded armament and protection for the upcoming attack.

A day and a half had passed since then. Their equipment had been distributed. Communication networks and their backups had been established. The assault squads had gone over their attack plans and drilled combat discipline countless times. Shansa had practiced fleet maneuvers with the other pilots. All the while their monitoring device floated a few hundred miles from Yalrek to watch the moon for coming and going ships. Janson's flagship was still missing.

Will shook his head to break himself from the trance he had fallen into. He looked down to his omnitool to see he had been staring at the holoprojector for nearly an hour as he ran over every detail of their plans repeatedly. His legs ached as he stepped away and turned for the stairs leading down to the lower level. He found himself wandering to the cargo bay to look over his equipment for the fifth time in the past day, but was surprised to see Ralliston as the door opened. With a mat at the center of the room the turian was practicing his hand-to-hand combat skills, something that he had taken an interest in since first sparring with Kay. Will stepped into the room and watched as Ralliston threw a savage kick into the air where an invisible enemy would have taken an incredible hit.

"Nice kick," Will complimented. "Hopefully you don't have to use it on the Blue Suns."

Ralliston spun to face him and dropped his arms down from the combat stance he had been standing in. "Heh, why do you say that?"

"Better to kill them before they're in kicking range," Will answered.

"That's optimistic," Ralliston pointed out. "But it doesn't hurt to have a backup plan."

Will nodded in agreement. "Can't argue with that."

Ralliston began unbinding the cloth wraps on his fists and eyed Will closely. "You look like shit. Should probably get some sleep."

"If only," Will mumbled as he began walking toward his workbench.

"Hope you're at a hundred percent whenever the attack order goes out," the turian continued. "Everyone needs to be. Especially you, Captain." He shook his head. "Sorry, sorry, I know it's not 'Captain' anymore."

"Whatever," Will said with a yawn. "Way too tired to care or correct you."

Ralliston laughed and walked toward his locker to store the wraps he had removed from his hands. Will picked up his rifle and looked down to it for a few moments before glancing to his left where Ralliston stood a few meters away.

"How do you feel about all this? You think things will work out?" Will asked.

"I think if everyone does their job the way we've planned we'll be just fine," Ralliston replied. "This place isn't an impenetrable fortress. It's an outpost. The Blue Suns have 'em everywhere. I've been to  _dozens_  of them and to be honest, I'm not scared a damn bit about what or who we'll find there."

"You say that, but this is probably Janson's base of operations," Will reminded him. "And he's running with the Blue Suns in this system like I've never seen someone control a gang."

The turian nodded and closed his locker. "It's true. But the Blue Suns are a problem with only one viable solution: fight back when they push too far. That's coming from personal experience."

"Guess you would know," Will recalled. "You're really not worried at all?"

Ralliston walked over to Will and leaned against the workbench beside his. "Worried we're gonna fuck it up?"

"Or worried we won't live to see the success," he added.

The turian shook his head. "We'll kill Janson. We'll probably obliterate the entire outpost. I'm not concerned about that." Ralliston looked down. "As for the personal danger? I grew up not expecting to see the next day. Nowadays I barely even think about it."

"I wish I was that confident," Will quietly admitted.

"Confidence has nothing to do with it," Ralliston informed him. "It's just a matter of recognizing that when you chose to do this kind of thing there's only so much you can do to protect your own life. The rest is just up to chance."

"That's a bit of a contradictory idea coming from the guy who nearly got me, Eleena and himself killed on the Citadel solely due to his actions," Will pointed out.

Ralliston nodded. "I didn't say it was entirely chance. Sometimes our choices do directly set the course of each others fate."

Will shook his head. "I'm too exhausted for this debate. And I feel like we've already  _had_  this exact discussion."

"Get some damn rest," Ralliston said again.

Before Will could respond his omnitool chirped. He furrowed his brow and looked down to see an automated message sitting in his inbox. His eyes widened as he turned and headed for the cargo bay door.

"What's going on?" Ralliston asked as he hurried to catch up.

"The scanning probe sent me and Fynnis an alert," Will explained.

"An alert saying what?"

Will turned into the hallway on the port side the ship and jogged toward the stairs leading up to the operations deck.

"What do you think?" Will asked rhetorically.

As they reached the top of the stairs the door to the XO's quarters slid open to Fynnis as he came stumbling out, clearly half asleep. Will stopped right before they bumped into each other motioned the turian along.

"You got the alert too?" Fynnis asked as he walked toward the holoprojector.

"Yeah. That's what you intended, right?" Will asked.

Fynnis nodded. "Of course, of course. I just wanted to make sure I hadn't imagined it."

The turian rubbed his eyes firmly before reaching forward and tapping away at one of the keyboards embedded on the table at the center of the room. Will and Ralliston stood on either side of him, watching patiently as Fynnis went through the necessary security protocols that he had set up to defend their scanning probe. After about a minute the holoprojector blinked to life to display the rough image of a ship very clearly of turian make.

"Looks promising," Fynnis muttered to himself.

He opened up a database of turian ships in a panel beside the projection and initialized a search to compare them to the image that they had captured. After only a few seconds it stopped with a match.

"That's it," Will said. "'Destroyer - Turian,'" he read. "That has to be  _Prospect._ "

"I'm inclined to agree," Fynnis added.

"I know that ship," Ralliston said. "I've seen it before." He shook his head. "Never knew it was Janson's."

Will looked over to the two turians. "It's time to make the call," he said, hiding his fatigue. "It's time to mobilize."

* * *

After waking the rest of the crew, Kallux, Will and the rest of the RMC leadership agreed they would make their move at 0400 galactic standard time. It was about a forty-five minute FTL jump from their location to Yalrek, where they would exit as close to the Blue Suns position as possible and move in at full assault speed. That gave the crew a little more than three hours before they would jump to FTL. Something about having the line drawn in the sand helped coax Will into a slumber upon returning to the bunkroom and gave him a precious few hours of rest. He woke thirty minutes prior to the established jump time and did his best to shower and eat as quickly as he could. The others were abuzz in the cargo bay, checking over and equipping their weapons and armor for the approaching fight. Kallux had been designated as their Kodiak pilot as Shansa would be preoccupied with flying the  _Trueshot_ itself. Will donned his equipment swiftly before making his way up to the cockpit only a few minutes before zero hour.

"Reading you loud and clear," Shansa said as Will came to a stop behind her chair. " _Trueshot_  is ready and standing by."

" _Message received,_ Trueshot.  _All ships are reporting ready,"_  Malylen's voice reported over the cockpit comm system.

Kay sat in the copilot's seat, looking over a number of graphs and panels to double-check that everything was functioning at optimal capacity.

"The cannons are looking good, I think," Kay reported. "Hard to say exactly, since I've never seen them both functioning before. But the numbers are all in the green parts of the scale."

"Thanks," Shansa replied earnestly.

"Everything else looking good?" Will asked.

"As good as it's ever been," Kay said confidently.

Will nodded. "And you're doing okay, Shan?"

The pilot reached over and tapped a few buttons on one of the panels to her left. "Little nervous. I'm not a fighter pilot."

Will bit his lip slightly. Shansa was rarely one to show her nerves when she was at the helm.

"You're going to do great," Will assured her with a pat on the shoulder.

She took a deep breath. "I hope. I wish I could be down there with you all."

"What you're doing here is more important than anything we do on the ground," Kay said. "Anyone can shoot a gun, but you've got a special talent, sis. I want you to show the Blue Suns what a  _real_  fucking pilot can do."

Shansa drew in another breath. "Okay. You're right. I can do this."

"Damn straight you can," Kay exclaimed.

" _All ships: this is Malylen."_  The salarian's voice crackled. " _Lock in your vectors and prep FTL drives. We launch in thirty seconds."_

A timer appeared on the panel directly in front of Shansa as she looked over their mapped trajectory to confirm it was as close to perfect as she could make it.

" _Follow the attack plan,"_  Malylen said firmly. " _We hit them hard and we hit them fast. Get as close as possible to your deployment points for the Kodiaks."_ There was a brief pause. " _Ten seconds. Good luck everyone, I'll see you at Yalrek."_

Two seconds later Shansa had pushed the ship into FTL and Kay rose from her chair to stand beside Will. Shansa looked over her shoulder and gave them a tiny smile.

"Forty-three minutes and seven seconds," she said.

Will nodded. "How long will it take us to reach the Kodiak launch point after we exit FTL?"

"No more than two minutes," Shansa answered. "The fleet will get as close as we can for you to deploy before we break off to deal with the Blue Suns ships."

Kay leaned forward and put her arm around Shansa to pull her into a quick hug. "I'm going down to get ready. Don't do anything crazy."

Shansa shook her head as Kay leaned back. "I won't. I promise. And be safe."

"When am I not?" Kay laughed as she turned and hurried toward the stairs.

Once she was gone, Shansa simply looked up to Will from her chair as he stared back.

"She's not big on the emotional sendoffs," Will commented.

Shansa fought between a frown and a smile. "She never was."

After a few silent moments Shansa stood and put her arms around him to pull them into a tight hug. He let out a sigh as he reciprocated without hesitation.

"I know I always say this, but I really want you to listen this time," Shansa prefaced with her face buried in his shoulder. "Be careful, Will. Please, please don't do anything stupid." She released him from the embrace and looked up. "I can't lose you again so soon."

Will nodded softly. "I'll take care of myself."

She closed her eyes. "I know what you're going to do. I know that you're going to do whatever it takes to get what you need on this mission." Shansa opened her eyes once again. "Just remember that there are people who love you and want you to come home when it's over."

"I've never forgotten that," Will assured her. "Now... I need to go finish getting everyone ready. I'll see you in a few hours when this is over. I promise."

Shansa smiled reassuringly. "Go do what you all do best."

"And you do the same," he said with a nod to the pilot's seat.

She lingered for a brief moment before turning and seating herself once again. Will said another silent goodbye and headed toward the stairs leading down to the lower level. As he entered the cargo he found everyone at about the same place they had been before. Kallux was prepping the Kodiak as Kay and T'Lees looked over each others armor. Ralliston had gone back to practicing his hand-to-hand combat while Fynnis looked over pages of documents he had gathered about the Blue Suns base. Eleena stood at the far end of the room, a faint biotic glow rippling around her as she made motions that would have normally accompanied a biotic throw or shockwave. Will made his way over to her and came to a stop a few feet away as he watched quietly. She peered over her shoulder after sensing his presence.

"Getting a good look?" She teased.

"Every chance I get," he replied with a small smirk.

The biotic aura faded as she turned to face him. "Just practicing. Getting warmed up."

"Do you usually do that before a mission?" Will asked.

"Not often," Eleena answered. "But when something big is on the line it doesn't hurt to give it all you've got."

"So you normally give it, what, sixty percent?" He grinned.

The asari stepped up to him. "If the situation only requires sixty percent, sure," she joked.

"And here I thought you were a hard worker," Will mused.

"Oh, I'm a hard worker," she assured him. "But I'm also an efficient worker. And biotics can take a lot out of you if you aren't careful."

He smiled. "I'm just teasing, El."

The asari nodded and took one of his hands in hers. "Are you ready?"

"Wish I'd gotten more sleep," he admitted with a small laugh. "But, yeah. I think I am."

Eleena looked around the cargo bay. The others were still busily going about their preparations. As she glanced back to him she took a gentle step closer, which Will met by doing the same and leaning his forehead forward to touch hers.

"I'm sorry about all this," Will said in almost a whisper.

"About what?" Eleena asked.

He frowned. "That I can't just let this go. If I could, we could just get on with our lives and-"

"Hey, shush," she interrupted. "Janson and the Blue Suns are a fucking blight, and everyone knows it. We're going to put an end to that disgusting piece of filth and find you peace of mind all in one blow. This isn't about you anymore, Will, it's about  _us._  We want this done, not just you."

Will leaned his head back and raised his brow. "Sounds like you've been preparing that little response. You sure?"

"Of course I'm sure," Eleena chuckled. "Why do you think we followed you around fighting pirates and slavers to begin with? Why do you think all those people followed Kallux in trying to do some good on  _Omega_  of all places?" She smirked. "Some people want to do good things."

He looked to the side. "Now I feel like an asshole for calling the Collective naive."

"You should," she said firmly.

"So why are you here? Is it because you want to do some good or because I need this?" Will asked.

"Both," she answered. "I'm not blinded by my feelings for you or anything like that. I've done a lot of dumb shit because I listened to my emotions before anything else, but this is about more than you or me." Before he could speak again she leaned forward and planted a deep kiss on his lips then stepped back. "No more worrying your scruffy head about this, alright? Let's get this over and done."

He held back a small smile. "I love you, Eleena."

She winked and motioned over her shoulder. "Same. Now let's get this going."

Will stepped up to her side. "And thanks. For everything."

Together they walked toward the shuttle where the others had begun to congregate.

She looked over to him and grinned. "Anytime, Willie."

* * *

Shansa's eyes were locked on the timer before her.

Thirty seconds.

She did one last visual scan of her instruments and reached over to tap a button at the center of her weapons management panel.

"Port and starboard cannons charged at optimal levels," droned the male, turian-sounding VI of the ship.

"Good, good, good," Shansa said under her breath.

She opened up her comm channel with the others. "Fifteen seconds 'till we drop out," she announced.

" _We're locked in and ready to go,"_ Will replied.

In a few seconds the lives of the entire crew would be in her hands. Even more so than normal. Shansa took a deep breath to calm her nerves. She was  _never_ this anxious in the pilot's seat.

Three seconds.

Her fingers extended over the flight controls and waited as the automated FTL jump manager kicked into action at the exact moment the timer reached zero. The ship rapidly decelerated and back into normal flight speeds. A few kilometers ahead of her the  _Resolute Inquest_  was recovering from exiting its jump. Within three seconds the  _Quindel_ and  _Aberrant_ had appeared on Shansa's port and starboard, respectively, in their intended formation. Another second or two later the  _Granther_ and  _Mal'Delin_  appeared on her scope a few kilometers aft of the  _Trueshot._

" _All ships present on scopes!"_ Malylen reported. " _Status!"_

"Quindel _, all green."_

"Resolute _, green!"_

Shansa waited patiently for her turn in the call order as her eyes darted across her instruments.

"Granther _, systems green!"_

"Mal'Delin,  _all green."_

" _Trueshot,_  all systems green," Shansa reported calmly.

She smiled in satisfaction with herself. Almost like magic her anxiety was quelled. She was ready.

"Aberrant,  _all green,"_  Malylen concluded. " _Enter formation and enter approach vectors."_

The ships were moving quite fast after their rapid exit from FTL. Shansa banked the ship on her assigned route, bringing the forward viewport of the  _Trueshot_ in-line with the moon that loomed ahead of them.  _Quindel, Resolute Inquest_ and  _Granther_  soon found their places in the approach formation, as they would be approaching the surface station to deploy their Kodiaks while the  _Aberrant_  and  _Mal'Delin_ would get as close as possible to the orbital platform.

"VI: tag all vessels not transmitting IFF signatures," Shansa ordered.

A second later a good ten red markers had appeared on Shansa's tactical map. Her eyes widened in surprise. She had been hoping for far fewer. Still, only two of the ships were not currently docked, though she suspected some smaller vessels could be in hangars on the surface. The wing had accelerated to full speed now, swiftly closing the gap between their point of origin and the now clearly visible Blue Suns station.

" _Targets identified,"_  Malylen reported. " _Complete your drop before breaking off to attack."_

Shansa bit her lower lip softly as she concentrated. That would be no problem. She and the other five RMC ships would be eager to strafe the docked ships as soon as their Kodiaks had been deployed. Their plan was to knock out as many of the potential combatants as possible before they could even enter the fight. Shansa prepped the cargo bay door to open as the station grew larger and larger in her viewport and tactical map.

" _Torpedoes incoming!"_ Shouted the  _Granther_ helmsman.

Shansa's eyes darted to her combat tracker and, upon seeing four attack signatures, swiped her hand across one of her panels to push as much strength as possible to the forward kinetic barriers. She glanced to her nav panel and made a quick evaluation of their progress.

"Twenty seconds to deployment," she reported.

" _Acknowledged,"_ Kallux replied. " _Shuttle's ready to go."_

A loud, angry buzz rang out from the combat tracking panel. Torpedoes at a confirmed collision trajectory. Two seconds later a she pushed the  _Trueshot_  down for just a moment as a flash of blue light appeared and disappeared within a blink of an eye. Alerts blared in the cockpit to inform her of an impact that brought the starboard kinetic barriers down to seventy percent. She nodded to herself. A direct hit with minimal effect. The Blue Suns were not dealing with the kind of weaponry that could cause catastrophic damage. At least to this ex-military spacecraft. After looking to the timer she pressed her finger to the button that sent the outer cargo bay door sliding open.

"Clear to deploy as soon as the door is open," Shansa informed the others over the comm. "We're holding a steady trajectory."

The station filled up nearly the entire viewport now. She was forced to throttle back as the other ships broke off to bring their Kodiaks closer to the other corners of the base where they would make their landings.

" _We're away!"_ Will called. " _Kick some ass for us, Shan!"_

"You too, Will." She smiled hopefully to herself. "Call me when you're ready to go home."

As the Kodiak appeared in front of her and zipped toward one of the hangars on the side of the station, Shansa pushed the  _Trueshot_  into a tight turn and aimed the ship at the orbital platform above. She grinned subconsciously and pushed to maximum acceleration while looking down to her combat tracker and marking her first target. Shansa lowered her head and looked forward with narrowed eyes.

"Mmkay. Let's see what these cannons can do."

* * *

" _Twenty seconds to deployment,"_ Shansa informed them.

"Acknowledged," Kallux responded from the cockpit. "Shuttle's ready to go."

Will turned back to face the troop compartment of the Kodiak and met the eyes of everyone standing ready.

"This is it, everyone."

The squad acknowledged him with nods or simple silence. A few seconds later Shansa's voice appeared in their helmets again.

" _Clear to deploy as soon as the door is open,"_ Shansa said.  _"We're hol_ _ding a steady trajectory."_

Will spun back to look through the viewport of the cockpit to see the outer airlock door just beginning to part. Light poured in through the opening door that was strong enough to force Will to squint for a moment and shield his eyes. As they adjusted he could see the base directly ahead of them. The shuttle jumped to life as Kallux pushed the Kodiak into full throttle and kicked them out of the safety of the  _Trueshot_  and toward the surface of Yalrek.

"We're away!" Will shouted. "Kick some ass for us, Shan!"

" _You too, Will."_  She said in the calm voice that usually accompanied her flying. " _Call me when you're ready to go home."_

He smiled at the joke and held onto the bulkhead of the cockpit door as Kallux pushed the dropship at full speed toward their landing point: the closest of the station's many hangars.

"We're gonna hit the ground soon!" Kallux said. "Everyone get ready to-"

A grating buzzer started blaring, interrupting the krogan.

"Incoming torpedo!" He shouted.

Will gripped the bulkhead harder. "Brace!"

The sound of an explosion ripped into the Kodiak just before it pierced the hangar's atmospheric barrier. Along with it, however, came the violent force that cast the shuttle off-course and spun it nearly a hundred and eighty degrees. Will gritted his teeth as the Kodiak slammed into the wall of the hangar.

Darkness.


	35. Chapter 35

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 35**

_**Blue Suns base, Yalrek** _

A faint thud rang out in Will's ears. Then another slightly louder. A third. Then, like a tidal wave appearing on the horizon, a ringing came roaring out of nothingness into a crescendo that ended in a flood of sound returning to his head. He opened his eyes to the blurry image of the Kodiak's rear compartment lined with familiar silhouettes firing their weapons into unseen enemies. The obvious outline of Kallux stood with his cannon firing heavy slugs toward their foes, the apparent source of the thuds that had first made their way into his ears. Will squinted and shook his head in an attempt to focus his vision. Surprisingly, it worked. He pushed himself up from the sitting position he had been set in and felt a sore pain in his entire left side.

"Fuck," he muttered in pain as he reached for his rifle.

"Will's awake," Kay shouted, having heard his voice.

Eleena threw a biotic shockwave out into the fray and looked to her left. "Will! Can you move?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm okay," he said while scrambling to his feet.

The squad had taken up position in what was now the wreckage of their Kodiak. A good chunk of the shuttle's aft had been either torn off or utterly disintegrated by the explosion that had foiled their approach at the last moment.

"Then come on! We've got work to do!" Kallux bellowed.

Will grabbed his rifle from his back and brought it to bear as he managed to stand and look through hole left by the open hatch and missing parts of the shuttle. He counted five targets in the immediate vicinity, all in less-than-ideal cover. The hangar they had crashed was housing a ship slightly smaller than the _Trueshot_  but clearly of batarian make. The enemies were scattered around below it behind crates and other pieces of cargo. At least four bodies could be seen, having already been dispatched by the crew. Ralliston and T'Lees were in cover behind a few crates just outside the shuttle, most likely to prevent crowding in Kodiak. Will drew his sights on the furthest enemy and pulled the trigger as he noticed the bullets impacting around him for the first time.

After a few seconds Will's target fell to a combination of his and Ralliston's gunfire while another was killed as Kallux's cannon ripped through his cover and into the person behind it. Just as Will found a new target he saw the Blue Suns soldier jerk to the side and fall from the impact of a harpoon to the chest, which could have only originated from the sniper rifle that T'Lees was steadying on the top of the crate she used for cover. Out of the corner of his eye, Will saw Fynnis duck down into the cover of the off-kilter shuttle and open his omnitool to check on something.

"Yes! Those old codes got me into the Blue Suns comm network!" He exclaimed before standing back up to continue shooting.

"Damn, nice!" Kay shouted excitedly. "I'm moving up!"

She lifted her rifle barrel to the ceiling and let out a grunt as she leapt over the edge of cover and onto the ground where she took up position at the side of T'Lees. The remaining Blue Suns foes had recognized their predicament and were attempting to run. The combined fire of the  _Trueshot_  squad cut them down before they could make it across the wide hangar.

Will closed his eyes for a moment to soothe his pounding head. "What's our status?" He asked through gritted teeth.

"About what you know," Kallux answered as he tossed his cannon out of the shuttle to the floor. "Shuttle's gone. We need an objective." The krogan turned and began digging into some bags that had been thrown around during their crash.

"Working on it," Fynnis commented.

Will opened his eyes and crawled out of the wreckage as Eleena did the same. "Ralliston, are you coordinating with the other squads?"

The turian had lowered his heavy assault rifle and nodded in affirmation. "All the surface squads have landed. Sounds like everyone hit some form of resistance. They're securing their hangars now."

"Thank God," Will said with a heavy sigh. "But now what..."

"We need an objective," T'Lees declared as she lifted Welk's rifle to rest over her shoulder.

"Still working on locating Janson," Fynnis interjected. "There's a  _ton_  of chatter going on right now."

Ralliston stepped forward. "While he works on that, I've got a suggestion. From what I hear on the comm the RMC ships are making their strafing runs, but the torpedo defense systems are causing problems. We should try to take them out."

Fynnis quickly nodded in agreement, though he was obviously distracted by the comm messages in his helmet. "Yes, yes, good idea. That will be on the station's battle network. They're typically much more secure than comm channels so we'll need a physical terminal to hook into it."

Eleena pointed to a large door on the far wall. "Then let's get looking!"

Will nodded and pushed his body's pain to the back of his mind. He looked over his shoulder to the Kodiak where Kallux was still rummaging around.

"Kallux?"

With a small grunt the krogan tossed a bag up and out of the wreckage to the floor at the center of the group. He crawled out and pulled it open to reveal three small cylinders. Each of the landing parties had been given explosives that the squads would set throughout the base during the infiltration.

"They're all in good shape," Kallux said as he knelt beside the bag.

The krogan picked up one and snapped it into place on one of the utility clamps on his lower back. He nodded to himself before grabbing his cannon from the floor.

"Two more," Will thought aloud. "Ralliston, Kay, grab 'em."

Without a moment's hesitation they had followed Will's order and locked the bombs into place on the small of their backs.

"Unless anyone has any objections, let's go find a terminal for Fynnis," Will decided. "On me, everyone!"

The squad formed up and began a quick trot toward the door with their weapons up and ready. Will glanced over to Ralliston as the turian ran just off his right flank.

"Are you monitoring all the Collective's channels?" He asked the turian.

Ralliston nodded. "Yes."

"How's the fleet doing?" Will asked.

"Good. The Blue Suns are just starting to show some resistance," the turian answered. "Our ships disabled four of theirs before they could even get out of their berths."

Will slowed as they came to the door and sighed happily as it opened without protest. "Any damage sustained by the RMC?"

"Not sure yet," Ralliston replied. "If there is, they haven't reported it on the public channel."

Will nodded and looked ahead.

"Shansa's going to be fine," Eleena's voice said through the comm system.

Will looked up to see she had patched into a private channel. He glanced back to her and nodded once with an appreciative smile. The hallway they had entered from the hangar was rather sparse, though it very quickly intersected with another hall that looked as though it would lead straight down the station in either direction. Will slowed and came to a stop at the corner of the intersection where he peered around to see movement some hundred or two meters away.

"Something down there," he reported. "Not sure what."

Fynnis came up to his side and pointed across the hall. "That door over there isn't marked. I'm guessing it's either maintenance or storage. Either way, might have a hard-lined terminal."

Will narrowed his eyes to focus on the shapes down the hallway. "Okay, I want you to go check. We'll hold here."

The turian gave him a reluctant nod before darting across the wide hallway and activating his omnitool to interface with the lock on the door. Will looked around the corner to once again see the movement he had seen earlier, this time closer. The door pinged and allowed Fynnis to slid into a dark room just beyond it. The figures moving down the hall had grown close enough for Will to clearly see their blue and white armor.

"We're going to have company real soon," Will warned.

"Let us take up position to fight," T'Lees suggested.

"Ready my mind," Kay agreed.

Other than a large set of crates stacked against the wall about twenty meters from the hallway intersection, the hall did not offer much protection. However, Kallux had already given the stack a hard shove and sent the three of them tumbling down. T'Lees, Kay. Eleena and Ralliston took up position behind them as Will peered around the corner once again.

" _Got a terminal in here!"_  Fynnis reported.

Will nearly jumped in surprise upon hearing his voice. "Can you get into their network?"

" _Gonna take me a minute,"_  he answered.

"We've got enemies incoming," Will said as he looked at the Blue Suns charging toward him. "Get it done fast!"

He cut the comm channel and looked back to the rest of the squad. "I'm going to lure them into us," Will said. "Get ready."

Before anyone could object, Will lifted his rifle and jumped out into the intersecting hall with his gun ablaze. The Blue Suns, now only a few dozen meters away, ducked at first before realizing that they were being attacked by a single opponent. Just as Will had hoped, they quickly returned fire and advanced toward him. As a few shots tore into his shields, Will dropped his gun and darted back into the adjacent hallway where the  _Trueshot_  squad sat behind their makeshift cover. Will ran past them and ducked into cover behind Eleena's crate as Kallux stood to the side with his cannon humming and ready. Their weapons held fast on the corner of the wall. After about twenty seconds the footsteps of Will's pursuers began growing louder and louder until finally six Blue Suns soldiers came barreling around the corner into their waiting foes.

T'Lees had been holding her sights right on the edge of the wall and was the first to fire. Her rifle sent a harpoon clean through the squad leader's neck, sending him to the ground a bloody, writhing mess as the rest of his squad continued running for a split second without recognizing the danger. By the time they had, the rest of the  _Trueshot_ squad had opened fire. The Blue Suns scrambled to find cover at the corners of the intersection. The second of their soldiers fell just before reaching safety as the others began firing back from cover. Before Will could give the order to move up, one of the Blue Suns soldiers reached out and tossed a grenade into the hallway the crew occupied.

"Grenade!" Kay shouted.

It impacted near the center of their line of cover, forcing them all to dive to the side as Kallux rolled back. Will and Eleena had been the closest at the center of the group and braced as they hit the ground. Eleena raised her hand to form a biotic barrier, but it was too late. Will shouted in pain as the force of the explosion ripped through his kinetic barrier and sent a chunk of shrapnel into the under-armor weave near his left shoulder. The gunfire continued as the squad righted themselves and forced the Blue Suns back into cover.

"I'm hit!" Will shouted as he pulled himself up and grabbed his rifle.

"Same," Ralliston called.

Slugs from Kallux's cannon soared over their line of cover and tore into the wall of the right-hand corner. Another enemy fell to the ground. Will readied his rifle and rose up from behind his cover as he clenched his teeth to subdue the pain in his shoulder. As he took aim a biotic singularity from T'Lees appeared behind the soldiers on their left, sending them floating up and sending one out of cover. Ralliston, Kay and Will's combined fire tore through him.

"Move up!" Kallux growled.

And they did. In one fluid movement the squad rose up and poured gunfire onto the left and right sides of the hall, forcing the remaining two Blue Suns soldiers back. As the did, the door across the hallway slid open with Fynnis standing in the threshold. With the turian on their flank, the two remaining Blue Suns soldiers were killed before they could try to run. Will lowered his rifle and surveyed their fallen foes.

"Ambush and crossfire," Eleena commented as she lowered her SMG. "Never stood a chance."

"Having trouble drumming up sympathy," Will grunted as he activated his omnitool to apply a dose of medi-gel to his shoulder. "Damn shrapnel missed my armor plating by an  _inch_."

"Goddess, Ralliston," T'Lees gasped.

Will spun to face his ally to see that he had just pulled his helmet off and was craning his neck to the side. The grenade that had wounded Will had also ripped into Ralliston's helmet and inflicted a deep gash in both his neck and one of his mandibles.

"I'm fine," Ralliston quickly objected. "Someone throw some medi-gel on this so we can keep moving."

T'Lees stowed her rifle and activated her omnitool to comply with his request as Fynnis came to a stop in front of Will and Kallux. Will turned his attention to Fynnis as the medi-gel began to cull the bleeding from his shoulder.

"I got into their systems," Fynnis informed him. "There was no way to shut down the missile defense systems without someone noticing, so I did the next best thing."

Kallux nodded for him to continue. "Which is?"

"They're ignoring the Blue Suns IFF signals," the turian answered. "Targeting randomly."

"That'll work for now," Will said.

Fynnis turned and activated his omnitool as he returned to his initial duty of monitoring comm channels.

"Will, Ral, you two doing okay?" Kay asked as she kept a keen eye on the hall.

Having finished administering the medi-gel, T'Lees stood back from Ralliston as the turian donned his helmet once again.

"He will be fine," T'Lees answered.

"Then it sounds like we need to find a new objective," Eleena pointed out.

"No we don't!" Fynnis announced.

The squad looked to him curiously.

"Janson is here, on the surface," Fynnis continued. "He's regrouping with his troops in the 'staging area.'"

"Then what are we waiting for?" Kay laughed. "Let's go kill the bastard!"

* * *

"Holy crap!"

Shansa stared with wide eyes and mouth agape as she pulled the  _Trueshot_  into a tight turn that would bring her bearing back to the fight.

"VI, visual!" She commanded.

One of the blank panels beside her blinked to life. A vid feed from one of the other RMC ships showed a shaky image of the fiery, twisted wreckage of a Blue Suns frigate. The  _Trueshot_ and  _Resolute Inquest_ had just struck the vessel with simultaneous hits, and one of them had sparked an explosion that had gutted the ship from bow to stern.

" _Good hit, good hit!"_  The  _Inquest_ captain yelled. " _Another one down!"_

The  _Trueshot_  had pulled back into an attack position. Shansa's eyes darted down to the combat tracker and identified a pair of Blue Suns ships that had blasted off from the surface and were just joining the battle. However, she was not worried. The RMC fleet had already destroyed or disabled nine of the Blue Suns ships. In doing so,  _Granther_ had taken a nasty hit that had punctured its hull on the port side. The compartments that had been compromised were sealed, preventing a total hull failure, but three members of the crew had been lost.

"Two more targets in range," Shansa reported. "Marked."

" _I see them,"_  Malylen replied. " _We're moving onto an intercept course."_

The  _Aberrant_ was showing its strength in the battle. The vessel was modern and with weaponry manufactured by Narenthus Antarian himself. With its powerful barriers, broadside cannons and point-defense weaponry it was easily capable of dealing with two old Blue Suns ships at once. The  _Trueshot_ , and the rest of the ships for that matter, were nowhere near as advanced. As Shansa prepared her next attack an emergency alert rang out over the comm system.

"Quindel  _requesting_ _assistance, now!"_

Shansa's eyes snapped to the tactical screen's grid and threw the ship into a direct course for the blue icon that represented  _Quindel._ She could see why their helmsman was requesting help. Three unidentified vessels were closing in on the lone RMC ship.

" _Three bogeys just dropped out of FTL on us!"_  The message continued.  _"Volleys_ _incoming, brace!"_

" _Trueshot_  is inbound, hold on!" Shansa replied before bringing up her weapon management panel. "VI, charge weapons and give me a vector on one of these ships!"

She tapped the three new vessels that had begun circling the  _Quindel._

"Attack vector established," the turian VI reported.

Shansa swiped her hands across the controls and brought the ship in line with the ever-updating trajectory that the VI had established. She pushed the ship to the maximum thrust capacity and tapped her foot anxiously as her finger hovering over the fire commands. She could see numerous broadside slugs from the Blue Suns ships ahead flying toward the  _Quindel._  Some of them were finding their mark.

"Come on, come on," she muttered to herself.

" _We're hit!"_  The  _Quindel_  helmsman yelled. " _Putting all auxiliary power into rear barriers!"_

"Hold on!" Shansa pleaded again.

Three quick tones sounded. She was in optimal range. With a tap of her finger the port and starboard main cannons discharged. The projectiles closed the gap between the  _Trueshot_ and her target in less than two seconds, both coming to impact one of the Blue Suns vessels square in the belly. The kinetic barrier visibly flared, but did not falter. With intent focus, Shansa corrected the firing angle and fired another two shots. The weapon management panel turned red as the two cannons went back into their charging sequence. Shansa held her breath as the second volley ripped into the old Blue Suns warship. The hull buckled and twisted while one of the main thrusters discharged a ball of blue flame. The Blue Suns vessel spun off course as the second thruster burned out, leaving it dead in the water.

"One down!" She exclaimed.

Shansa looked out the viewport to orient herself with the  _Quindel_  and its remaining two attackers while her fingers brought the  _Trueshot_  into the new firing vector that the VI had established.

"Second volley is charging," Shansa reported.

" _We've got incoming shots!"_  The RMC pilot called. " _Cutting thrusters to boost-"_

Before he could finish the slug impacted the front of the old volus ship and ripped the bow clean off. Shansa gasped in terror and brought a shaking hand to cover her mouth involuntarily. A second and third shot from the Blue Suns ships struck the crippled ship, one hitting midship and the other right into the main thrusters.

"Course correction advised," droned the VI.

Shansa blinked and looked down to her nav panel. Her hands flew to the controls and brought the ship back onto the firing trajectory as the weapon panel chimed three times. She gritted her teeth in anger as she executed the first two shots, then the second pair immediately after. The weapon system buzzed in disapproval at the rapid discharge of the cannons' energy, but returned to the charging state without further complaints.

"Quindel  _is off my scopes,"_ the distracted-sounding helmswoman of the  _Mal'Delin_  reported.

" _Quindel_  is lost," Shansa said flatly.

Shansa's four shots impacted the second Blue Suns ship beautifully. In quick succession, all four tore through the enemy's barrier and armor plating within a ten by ten meter area. With its shields already weakened from the final attacks from the  _Quindel_ , the Blue Suns ship exploded in a ball of blue and purple energy most commonly caused by the violent destruction of an FTL core.

" _Understood,"_  Malylen replied curtly. "Trueshot  _and_ Aberrant  _will_   _cover_ Quindel's  _battle sector."_

The third and final of  _Quindel's_  attackers had turned and put itself in a confrontational position with the  _Trueshot._  Before either of them could discharge an attack,  _Aberrant_ appeared on Shansa's tactical screen. The RMC flagship unleashed a hail of broadside fire on the Blue Suns ship, causing its shields to waver heavily. With the  _Trueshot_ 's cannons only charged to sixty percent strength, Shansa took a chance and fired two slugs. One of the main cannon's slugs missed as the enemy took evasive action, while the other tore straight into the bow and down the length of the ship. With its shields compromised, the  _Aberrant's_  hail of small slugs peppered the ship as it bent unnaturally and disintegrated.

"That's three more down," Shansa noted as she took a deep breath to calm herself.

" _We have two more vessels leaving the orbital station,"_ reported one of the RMC officers.

" _Understood._ Aberrant  _and_ Trueshot  _are setting course to intercept,"_ Malylen commanded.

As Shansa brought the ship into position on  _Aberrant's_  flank she marked the  _Quindel_  debris field on her tactical map. If someone was alive in that wreckage, they would not be suffering the same fate that Will had when the  _Hyperion_  was lost.

" _Enemies in sight_ _,"_ Malylen announced. "Trueshot,  _focus this target."_

A mark appeared on one of the Blue Suns ships that had joined the fight, this one a relatively new human vessel. She nodded to herself and adjusted her controls accordingly.

"Affirmative," she said, pushing the loss of the  _Quindel_  out of her thoughts for now. "Firing trajectory established. Ready to attack on your command."

* * *

The  _Trueshot_  crew had met only minor resistance as they made their way toward the staging area. Thanks to the station's blueprints that Fynnis had stolen, they had been able to establish a route of attack that would keep them out of the main corridors. Ralliston was keeping them updated as they continued onward. The other RMC squads had suffered casualties, at least ten dead across all landing parties, but they had survived thus far and were pushing toward the staging area as well. The  _Trueshot_ squad had managed to find a maintenance tunnel that would lead them only a few dozen meters away from their destination, and they had unanimously decided to use it. At some point during their journey an alarm had started in the base alerting all personnel to kill intruders on sight. Around the tenth time hearing it, Eleena groaned and leaned her head back in annoyance.

"Who is this alarm supposed to be for?" She asked. "Is it standard procedure on this station to  _not_  kill armed intruders?"

"Maybe the alarm's for you," Fynnis joked. "Ingenious psychological warfare."

"I think you're giving them a little too much credit," Kay mused.

Will stretched his arm and winced at the pain from his shrapnel wound. "We getting close?"

"Yes," Fynnis answered. "But we're making one stop first."

T'Lees looked back to the turian. "Oh?"

Fynnis activated his omnitool. "Very soon, actually. One of the station's four power generators is located nearby and there's a maintenance tunnel right below it. I think it's a good place to drop one of the demo charges."

"Good thinking," Kallux said. "Where is it?"

"About ten meters up ahead there should be a passage on the right side," Fynnis answered. "Then it's another five meters or so and you're directly beneath it."

Kallux turned his flashlight toward the wall and nodded. "I see it."

The krogan collapsed his cannon and slid it onto his back as they continued down the tunnel. Kallux grabbed the explosive from his back and held it at his side as he slowed to a stop in front of the intersection with a smaller passageway. Fynnis slid past the squad members between him and the front of the squad and took the bomb from Kallux's hand.

"Setting it on remote detonation," the turian said as he tapped away at the control pad. "I'll give everyone access to it. You know, just in case."

Will watched as Fynnis ducked into the hallway and out of sight.

"So what exactly is our plan once we get to this 'staging area?'" Kay asked as she stepped up behind Will.

He turned around. "We wait until the other RMC squads are in position and make our move."

"We might have to wait a while," Ralliston informed them.

Will raised a brow. "Explain."

"Two of the surface squads are bogged down," the turian relayed. "Last report was that they're still moving, but it's against heavy resistance."

"Resistance we most likely avoided by utilizing these tunnels," T'Lees commented.

Ralliston nodded. "Most likely. The third squad, Nellie's, is making better progress. They're almost to Janson's position."

"Then we'll move in with whatever we've got," Will decided. "The element of surprise is on our side."

Fynnis appeared from the smaller tunnel. "It's done. Charge is in place."

Will nodded. "Good, let's keep going."

"Hold on," Fynnis objected. "We're very close to the staging area, and that passage leads to another tunnel that runs parallel to this one. I think we should split up."

"Fyn, we don't exactly have the numbers game here," Kay objected.

"No, but attacking from two directions is better than one," Kallux argued. "I think Fynnis is right. From the blueprints it looks like that staging area is a shuttle hangar bay and probably has an armory too. Two stories, entrances from multiple sides. The wider spread we can attack from the harder it will be to focus on us."

Eleena nodded in agreement. "Lizard's right. If we all try to attack through one door we'll get fucked."

Kay shrugged. "I guess so. Just gotta hope we don't hit heavy resistance on our way there."

"We're very close already," Fynnis assured her.

"We'll split up," Will finally declared. "Kallux, Eleena and I will continue along this route. Kay, you take T'Lees, Fynnis and Ralliston on the other."

Kay leaned her rifle against her shoulder. "You got it. Everyone on me, let's go!"

As Kay led the second group into the tunnel, Will grabbed Ralliston by the shoulder. "Patch me in with Captain Dissanayake so we can coordinate."

The turian stopped and opened his omnitool. "Done. And by the way, we just called her Nellie. It's a lot quicker."

Will smirked and waved him along. Kallux had retrieved his cannon from his back to continue leading them down the tunnel. Will opened the new comm channel and cleared his throat.

"This is Will Hume, does anyone copy?"

" _Affirmative, Hume! This is Nellie!"_  Answered a woman with an accent of clear Indian origin.

"What is your status, Captain?" He asked.

" _Wrapping up a scuffle with a Blue Suns patrol,"_ she answered. " _We're making our way to the station's upper level to get the drop on this staging area. High ground wins wars, eh?"_

She sounded competent. Will let out a sigh of relief.

"So I've heard," he responded. "We're getting close to the staging area as well. Give me a report when you're in position."

" _Will do, Hume. Nellie, out."_

Will opened tapped a few buttons on his omnitool to bring up the blueprints that Fynnis had distributed to everyone. After a quick scan he had oriented himself and identified where both of the  _Trueshot_  fireteams would be entering the room from.

"Ladder should be a few more meters up on the left," the krogan announced.

Eleena clenched and released her fist, causing a small blue ripple to appear around it. "Let me go up first. I can drop some biotics if there's anyone watching and try to give you two time to make it up."

Will gave her a reluctant nod which she responded with a small grin.

"I'll jump down if there are too many, don't worry," the asari teased.

Kallux came to a stop and looked up. "Here it is."

Eleena slid her SMG into the holster on her back and grabbed the first rung to begin ascending. As she did a ping came from one of the other comm channels Will was monitoring. He switched over and cleared his throat.

"Will here."

" _I've received some messages from the fleet,"_  Ralliston informed him. " _Apparently there a bunch of dropships departing from the big shuttle bay at the center of the station. The staging area."_

"Shit," Will muttered. "And Janson is leading them somewhere?"

" _That's what it sounds like,"_  Fynnis interjected. " _I've only picked up bits and pieces from the Blue Suns comm network, but it sounds like they know the orbital station has about half as many RMC troops attacking. They're moving to counter-attack."_

"Then we've gotta move fast," Will said.

"Here we go!" Eleena called from above.

The hatch slid open and she peered up into the hallway. She did a quick visual sweep and let the ball of biotic energy in her hand dissipate.

"We're clear!" She announced as she pulled herself up in one swift motion.

Kallux stowed his weapon and jumped up to climb after her as Will slid his own rifle onto his back. Halfway up the ladder a message came in from Nellie's comm channel.

" _Hume, we're in position,"_ she announced. " _Second floor, opposite side as the hangar door."_

"Hold there," Will ordered as he pulled himself up and off the ladder. "Get ready to breach and clear."

" _Affirmative,"_  the Captain replied. " _Holding."_

Will, Kallux and Eleena drew their weapons and held them on the airlock door that stood between them and the staging area.

"Kay, are you in position?" Will asked.

" _Almost, we're coming up now,"_ she answered.

He took in a long, slow breath. "You two ready?" Will looked to either side where Kallux and Eleena stood.

"Always," the asari answered.

Kallux merely nodded and adjusted his grip on the cannon in his hands.

Will focused on drawing calming breaths to manage his heart rate and steady his aim. Beside him, Eleena had narrowed her eyes and kept her aim at the center of the door while Kallux held his finger on the button that functioned on his odd weapon's trigger. About twenty seconds later, Kay's voice appeared in Will's head.

" _We're ready,"_  she said.

Will swallowed hard and merged all three squad comm channels. "Sweep and clear on three. One. Two. Three."

As he tapped the button at the center of the door it gave him a soft, amicable ping as the two halves parted and slid open. Will, Kallux and Eleena looked straight ahead and drew in as much as they could from their surroundings in a split second. The room was larger than the hangar they had landed in, and had a balcony that ran around the second level. Columns supported the walkway that circled the room, providing cover at periodic intervals that were positioned about three meters out from the exterior walls. The room was clear of permanent constructs for the most part, save for a collection of weapon racks and workbenches near the back of the room that most likely served as an armory. Near the back were a pair of Kodiaks that were in the middle of maintenance, as a few of the panels near the thruster housings were laying on the floor beside them. Hovering at the center of the room was another dropship just beginning to flare its thrusters to send it through the atmospheric barrier and into space. Below it were three final idling Kodiaks and what looked like roughly twenty Blue Suns soldiers hurrying to load into them.

Standing in the hatch of the center Kodiak, pointing and maneuvering the Blue Suns into the shuttles, stood the man Will had hoped to see: Janson. Instead of opening his mouth to taunt him, Will simply took aim.

"Enemies!"

One of the Blue Suns turned and pointed toward the wall where the  _Trueshot_  squad had appeared. Will cursed, his surprise ruined, but pulled the trigger. Chaos erupted as gunfire poured onto the Blue Suns from both the  _Trueshot_ fireteams and Nellie's squad, somewhere up above and out of sight.

"Go, go, go!" Janson shouted. "We'll clean up these fucks later!"

The last of the Blue Suns soldiers scrambled into the Kodiaks under the torrent of bullets.

"Stop them!" Will shouted into the comm system.

Kallux roared as his cannon finished warming up and spat heavy slugs toward the Kodiaks as they lifted from the ground. With a few well placed shots, Kallux managed to tear into the back of one of the shuttles and send it sputtering back to the ground as it lost power. With the side hatch still open, the Blue Suns troops began pouring out to take cover and return fire. Will continued to unload into Janson's Kodiak as the hatch slid shut and the pilot blasted out of the hangar. Will closed his eyes and yelled in anger. The third and final shuttle had just begun to close its side hatch as a rocket blasted from up above and exploded on the cockpit viewport, utterly shattering it. The shuttle spun to the side and dive down into the corner of the room with a vicious crunch with the thrusters still burning and pushing it helplessly into the ground. Seeing that a fight was unavoidable, Will charged forward into the room and took cover behind the closest pillar as Eleena and Kallux came running out to do the same. He looked over to see on a perpendicular wall that Kay was sprinting to lead T'Lees, Ralliston and Fynnis into a flanking position as the Blue Suns continued to return fire.

Nellie's squad continued to fire down with small arms until a second rocket blasted down and impacted the disabled Kodiak, ensuring that it would not be moving. Will readied his rifle and poked out from behind cover to shoot at a Blue Suns engineer that was ordering a drone toward Eleena. The salarian met a quick end under his focused fire, but bullets from the other dozen Blue Suns forced him back behind the pillar. He peered around as his shields began to regenerate to see that Kay, Fynnis, T'Lees and Ralliston were splitting fire between the center of the room and the emerging survivors of the second Kodiak crash.

" _Elites!"_ Nellie shouted.

Will focused his vision and looked to the second Kodiak crash where a handful of Blue Suns soldiers, clearly of rank, had tumbled out of the wreckage and begun returning fire on the  _Trueshot_ squads. Their weapons and armor looked of higher quality than any of the other Blue Suns, and the orange glow of tech armor surrounded them. With his shields now full charged, Will turned his attention back to the original group and stepped out to take aim. A shockwave from Eleena tore through a couple of Blue Suns at the center of the room, sending them tumbling from cover and into an easy line of fire for Will, Kallux and Nellie's squad above them. On the other end of the room, T'Lees and Fynnis had turned their attention to the mass of Blue Suns at the center of the room while Kay and Fynnis were concentrating on the three elites that had take up position near them and were doing a decent job of forcing them back into cover.

" _Whoever has the heavy ordinance, we could use it down here!"_  Ralliston shouted over the comm.

" _Only got one more shot!"_ Nellie answered. " _But you need it more than we do!"_

A final rocket came screeching down and impacted at the center of the three elites. Somehow, all three absorbed the shock, though their tech armor and shields had clearly failed in the explosion. Under Kay and Ralliston's fire, one of the three dropped to a few shots to the neck and head. Will did his best to split his attention between his own targets and the duel at the opposite side of the room, but was forced back as a shot took his shields down to nothing and grazed his helmet. Luckily, he still had an angle on Kay, Ralliston and the elites. Ralliston's heavy assault rifle tore into the armor of one of the turian elites, only for the other to raise his fist and discharge a flash of light toward their foes. Kay and Ralliston's rifles overloaded instantly, spraying their emergency heat discharge. With his shields back to fifty percent, Will grabbed a grenade from his belt and leaned out to chuck it into the center of the room.

" _Weapons are fried!"_  Ralliston shouted. " _Let's go!"_

He threw the gun to the side and charged forward with his fists cocked to fight.

" _Oh, hell yeah!"_ Kay yelled excitedly.

Will widened his eyes and shook his head as he attempted to take aim on the elites.

"What the hell are you doing?" He called.

Kay jumped forward and threw her armored fist into the jaw of one of the elites as Ralliston did the same to the other. Almost surprised by the audacity of the attack, neither of the elites reacted until after the first blows. Kay ripped the rifle from the hand of her target and attempted to bring it to bear on him, only to have the elite kick it hard to the side. Ralliston's elite, however, deflected the disarm attempt and fired a few shots into Ralliston at point-blank. His shields flared and died. Will clenched his teeth and held his fire, not wanting to hit Kay or Ralliston. One of the bullets pierced Ralliston's armor, spraying blood out the back as he stumbled in shock. The turian quickly recovered and ducked down to avoid another burst, sweeping the elite's legs as he did. The elite dropped to his knee just long enough for Ralliston to send a kick into his hand and loosen his grip on the rifle.

Behind them, Kay had taken a nasty hit to the arm from her elite's omniblade, but she had managed to land a number of disabling hits and send him to his knees. She darted behind him and wrapped her arms around his helmet, yanking it off with a scream of exertion. With the helmet aside, she wrapped her hands around his head and twisted it with yet another yelp, snapping his neck. As he slumped to the ground, Kay turned her attention to Ralliston and his elite. Ralliston yelled in guttural rage as he threw a hard punch into the elite's head. As the elite stumbled back he grabbed the pistol from his belt and lifted it to fire. Ralliston, Kay and Will all saw it as clear as day, but it was too late. The elite fired six or seven shots at point-blank range, about half of which pierced Ralliston's chestplate. The turian lost his balance and fell back from the shock of the attack before rolling to the side.

"Fuck!" Will shouted as he pulled the trigger of his rifle instinctively.

Bullets from his rifle impacted around the elite as he scrambled for his own rifle, only to take a series of shots to the arm as Kay grabbed a discarded rifle from the ground and unloaded it. As the elite attempted to recover one final time, a harpoon bolt pierced through the visor of his helmet and sent him to the ground a motionless body. Will glanced over to see T'Lees turn her attention back to the dwindling group of Blue Suns at the center of the room.

" _Ralliston is down!"_ Kay shouted as she dropped into cover. " _And I'm hurt… pretty bad."_

Will brought his rifle back to the center of the room and sent a series of bursts into the last of the three Blue Suns soldiers, who quickly fell to the focused fire of both the  _Trueshot_  squad and Nellie's fireteam. Suddenly, as soon as it started, the gunfire had ceased. With no targets left and his heart trying to rip through his chest, Will lowered his rifle and sprinted out across the room. He flinched at the sight of nearly a dozen dead Blue Suns soldiers scattered around the disabled Kodiak at the center of the hangar. Kay had already tossed her rifle to the ground and knelt beside Ralliston with her omnitool active, ready to administer medi-gel. Will stowed his rifle and dropped to his knees next to Kay. Ralliston was in bad shape. His chestplate had been punctured in five place, all of which were leaking blood at an alarming rate. Despite this, he still had vital signs on Will's squad monitor. Albeit not strong ones. Kay swiped her omnitool over him as Will reached down and pulled the helmet from Ralliston's head.

"Sh-shit!" The turian coughed as blood spilled from his mouth. "How bad am I?" He shook his head weakly. "Shit, that was a… a stupid thing I did."

Will shook his head. "You're well enough to know that much."

Ralliston laughed and clenched his chest. "Fuck, that hurts."

Will looked over his shoulder as Kay helped prop Ralliston up to sit against a crate. The rest of the crew was converging on them. He pointed to the Kodiaks in the back of the room and raised his voice.

"Eleena, can we get those flying?"

The asari gave him a curt nod and ran toward the two Kodiaks as Fynnis came to a stop at Will's side. The turian cleared his throat, clearly not wanting to interrupt but eager to share some news.

"RMC fleet is reporting that the Kodiaks that left the surface base all docked on the orbital station," Fynnis informed him before a long pause. "And... the other two RMC squads on the surface are not responding. Last message I received reported that the Blue Suns had overrun them on their way to the staging area."

Will looked back down to Ralliston. "Then we've got to get up there and help the others on the space station. But…"

"Just go," Ralliston urged gruffly. "I've got medi-gel… I'll stay out of sight and you can come back for me."

"We cannot just leave you," T'Lees argued.

"We won't," Kallux added.

Will motioned toward the Eleena and Kodiaks. "You're coming with us."

Ralliston shook his head. "No. I'm… I'm just a liability..." he insisted through raspy words. "Besides, I'll be fine here…"

He reached over and grabbed one of the elites' rifles. The turian laid it across his chest and did his best to show confidence in his fading eyes.

"I can take out a few of 'em," he said, his speech slowly becoming more slurred. "Just let'em try."

Will's heart sunk. "Ralliston. I'm not leaving you here. Especially in this condition."

"You can  _come back_ for me," Ralliston gasped as his head wobbled. "For… you know." He reached up and touched the blood that continued to flow from his wounds. "I won't be goin' anywhere."

Behind them, Nellie's squad appeared from one of the doors and ran toward Eleena as she worked on the Kodiaks. The asari ordered one the RMC soldiers into the cockpits of each shuttle as they began to hum from their warmup.

"I'm sorry," Will said as he looked back down to Ralliston.

"Don't be." The turian muttered with a small chuckle. "An' I was wrong, by the way."

"About what?" Will asked.

"Last night… all that crap I was sayin'. Chance… had nothing to do with this." Ralliston shook his head as he mumbled. "I shoulda just… just stayed back. Grabbed my sidearm an' kept shooting. That was a stupid, stupid thing I did..."

Will reached down and set his hand on the turian's shoulder. "You can consider yourself forgiven, Ralliston. A thousand times over."

The turian blinked slowly and looked up to him. He gasped violently and coughed up yet another bout of blood.

"Thanks," he managed. "I… needed that."

Kallux slid his cannon onto his back. "Ralliston, you did good work. Be proud of that, kid."

Will nodded once and stood. "Into the Kodiaks, everyone," he said solemnly. "Goodbye, Ralliston."

The turian's head lowered and he did not respond. The rest of the squad mumbled a few reluctant goodbyes before turning and forcing themselves over to where the two Kodiaks were now fully hovering and ready to depart. Will lingered for just a moment until Ralliston's vital signs registered as unavailable on his squad monitor. He took one last look at the motionless turian, his friend, and did his best to subdue the boiling guilt in his stomach. Then Will turned away and ran for the Kodiaks.


	36. Chapter 36

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 36**

_**Blue Suns base, Yalrek** _

"Ow! Fuck, that hurts," Kay hissed.

"Stop fidgeting," T'Lees lectured. "You are lucky you still have an arm at all."

The asari carefully applied a dose of pain relieving medi-gel to Kay's forearm as the latter rolled her eyes and kept herself still.

"Please. I saw the omniblade in time," Kay argued. "No way I could have lost an entire arm."

"This deep gash seems to say otherwise," T'Lees countered. "There, all set."

Kay sighed and dropped her arm while looking to the opposite side of the Kodiak's troop compartment. Will stared at the hatch with his hand grasping one of the stabilizing rails that lined the ceiling. Kay glanced back to T'Lees, who was clearly concerned as well, and held up a hand for her to stay on the troop bench. She rose to her feet and stepped past a couple of RMC soldiers from Captain Dissanayake's squad to stand beside him.

"You okay, Will?" She asked as sympathetically as she could manage.

He closed his eyes for a moment. He should have jumped in the other Kodiak with Eleena. If someone was going to console him, he wanted it to be her. But to quite honest, they didn't have time for that right now.

"I'll give you an answer later," he replied as he opened his eyes and shifted them to Kay. "Ralliston… did a lot of shitty things. But the last month or so he tried really, really damn hard to make up for them."

Kay lifted a hand, a little unsure of herself, and placed it on his shoulder. "Let's make sure he didn't die for nothing, okay? Then you can mourn."

Will nodded at the reasonable advice and turned away from her to make his way to the cockpit. He leaned in and looked through the forward viewport to the rapidly approaching space station.

"Yep, I see it," Kallux said over his comm system. "The big bay at the center."

" _That's the one,"_  Nellie's voice confirmed. " _Let's bring it in hot and pop the hatches right away. Just in case we meet resistance."_

"Just what I was thinking," Kallux agreed.

One of the krogan's eyes looked back to see Will standing behind him.

"We're hitting the LZ in twenty seconds!" He shouted loud enough for the entire cabin to hear. "Hume, get on the hatch. I want everyone ready to disembark immediately."

"Alright," Will answered.

He hurried back to the hatch and prepped it to open as he grabbed his rifle from his back.

"Everyone get ready to jump out as soon as we're inside the hangar," Will announced. "If we find opposition I want you to pick a target and focus on keeping them suppressed until everyone is out and ready to fight."

"Five seconds!" Kallux yelled.

Will lifted his hand and held a finger over the door's controls. He held his breath. He wasn't ready to jump into another firefight. Not yet.

"Hatch open, now!" Kallux ordered.

But it looked like he had to.

Will pressed his finger to the control pad and lifted the stock of his rifle into his shoulder. He aimed down the sights and steadied his breath as the side hatch of the Kodiak let out a few mechanical clunks from the locks disengaging before sliding open. Kallux was spinning the Kodiak to bring it to a stop near the center of the hangar they had entered and Will quickly spotted trouble: six Blue Suns soldiers positioned near the outside walls of the room already in cover and taking aim. With five or six Blue Suns Kodiaks already sitting idle on the deck below them Will lowered his rifle and jumped for cover.

"Let's go!" He shouted as he fell.

He rolled as he hit the ground and slid into cover behind the front of one of the Kodiaks. Gunfire from the Blue Suns who had been left to guard the shuttles began peppering the viewport in front of him. He looked back over his shoulder to see the Kay, T'Lees and the other RMC soldiers jumping out of their commandeered Kodiak while about a dozen meters away, Eleena, Fynnis and the other half of Nellie's squad disembarked from the second shuttle.

"Fayneer, singularity!" Kay called.

Will followed the asari's aim as she threw a biotic attack out toward a pair of Blue Suns soldiers attempting to skirt around the outside of the room to flank them. He spun and opened fire with Kay, forcing them down into cover behind a support column.

"Heavy, look out!" Called one of the RMC troopers.

A rocket streaked over the line of landed Kodiaks and slammed into the one hovering a few meters above Will. He ducked down from the explosion as Kallux cursed over the comm and guided the failing shuttle into a crash-landing near the edge of the hangar's atmospheric barrier. With his shields partially compromised from the explosion, Will slid as far into cover as possible while still firing at the flanking enemies.

"Got the heavy!" Eleena exclaimed. "One down!"

A harpoon struck one of Will's targets, dropping him to the floor. "Two," T'Lees corrected her.

"They're running!" One of the RMC soldiers warned.

With his shields beginning to recharge, Will peered out of cover to see three of the remaining Blue Suns soldiers retreating through a large door that led into the interior of the station. Will jumped up and held his gun on the column behind which the sixth and final enemy was hiding.

"You're surrounded, drop your weapon!" He ordered.

He slowly walked toward the hidden Blue Suns soldier with his finger on the trigger. Nellie's Kodiak came down to rest beside him as he continued to close the gap. Will came to a stop a few meters away.

"This is your only chance," he reiterated.

A gun clattered to the ground and a batarian with his hands raised slowly appeared from behind cover.

"I surrender!" He pleaded. "Don't kill me."

Will's aim dropped to the ground. "Someone lock him up," he ordered.

A couple of RMC soldiers ran past him and began detaining their captive as Will turned back to the main group. Eleena and Fynnis had run to the nearby wreckage of the first Kodiak and were helping Kallux as he climbed out. Captain Dissanayake jumped out of her dropship and onto the ground next to him with nod of acknowledgment before lifting her hand and shouting for her troops to round up.

"We've got one wounded!" Kay called.

She rounded the corner of a Kodiak with one of the RMC soldiers under her arm. Will stood to the side as they made their way to the rest of Nellie's squad where she was quickly taken up by her comrades and administered aid. The familiar stomping from Kallux thudded through the hangar as the krogan approached Will with Eleena and Fynnis on either of his flanks.

"Kodiaks are just dropping left and right today," Eleena lamented.

"And people. Glad you're so concerned about  _my_ safety," Kallux grumbled.

Fynnis snorted. "Please. You're a krogan. Maybe if you'd crash-landed into a star we would be concerned."

Will's eyes darted around the hangar. "Where's T'Lees?"

"Over here," she called from somewhere beyond the collection of parked Kodiaks. "I am watching our flank in case they launch a counterattack. Feel free to discuss our next movement without me. I trust you all to choose wisely."

Fynnis nodded appreciatively. "Alright. If everyone's accounted for, we need to move after the Blue Suns now. I'm monitoring the RMC channels as well now that…" He paused and dropped the comment short. "It sounds like the two Collective squads that landed up here are being hit by the reinforcements that Janson was rallying."

"Both squads?" Will asked.

"Yes. I suspect Janson has divided his troops," Fynnis continued.

Kallux let out a condescending laugh. "Idiot."

"Idiocy aside, we need to move out as soon as possible," Fynnis remarked.

Kay trotted up to the group and looked around curiously. "What'd I miss?"

"Blue Suns are attacking the RMC squads that landed up here on the orbital station," Eleena informed her. "But I don't think we know which squad Janson is with."

"So we pick one and help them," Kay said. "If he's not there, we go help the others. Seems simple enough."

"You're assuming the others can hold out that long," Kallux argued. "No, we should divide our forces as well. We can head toward one squad while Nellie takes her troops toward the other."

"Didn't you just call Janson stupid for dividing his forces?" Eleena inquired with a small smirk.

The krogan chuckled. "We're just reacting to his stupid decision."

Will raised a hand to draw their attention. "We're wasting time. Fynnis, get us in touch with the two squads and pick one. We'll go to them."

The turian nodded once and looked down to his omnitool. Movement just to his left caught Will's eye and prompted him to glance over his shoulder. Captain Dissanayake had come to a stop and given him a crisp nod. All he could see through her visor was that she was of dark complexion, though it was not surprising given her name and accent, with dark brown eyes sitting atop a pair of sharp, intimidating cheek bones.

"Captain," he acknowledged.

"Captain Hume, nice to see you again," she said quite professionally.

"We've met?" Will asked, slightly confused.

Nellie smiled coolly. "Once. In passing. You and your shipmate, the quarian, gave the officer candidates a talk about engaging in covert operations with gangs."

Will nodded slowly. "That's right, we did. That was over two years ago. Nice to see that someone who was there is still alive," he said bluntly.

She frowned softly. "There were plenty, before the Blue Suns attacked us."

Will looked to the side briefly and cleared his throat. "Well, uh, as I'm sure you overheard, we need to get moving and assist the two landing teams. By the sounds of it, Janson has divided his forces and is pursuing them now."

Nellie nodded curtly. "My team is ready to move whenever you give the order."

"I've got the locations of both squads," Fynnis interjected. "Which one do you want, A or B?"

"B," she said confidently.

Will raised his weapon. "Then we've got A. Let's go everyone!" He pointed to Nellie. "If you all run into serious trouble, let us know immediately."

She nodded once and turned to trot back to her squad. "Weapons ready! We're moving!"

The  _Trueshot_ squad formed up around Will as he set off toward the large door at the far end of the room. A few seconds later a waypoint appeared on his HUD.

"That's our target," Fynnis informed them. "We need to go up one level. Should be a stairwell at the end of the hallway if we turn left through this door."

"Are we to expect resistance?" T'Lees inquired.

"There's a lot of chatter on their network," Fynnis replied. "Can't get anything concrete."

Kallux stepped up beside Will as they approached the door. "Always expect resistance," he advised. "At least when you're attacking a gang's base of operations."

The door pinged and slid apart. The hallway in front of them was littered with signs of battle ranging from scorch marks to bullet holes to a few bodies, both of Blue Suns and RMC alike. Will proceeded forward with the others on his flank, all of them ready and expecting opposition. They took the first left, as Fynnis instructed, and was met with a short hallway that ended at another door. Through it was a stairwell that they took up to the third and highest level of the station.

"Where are we going from here?" Will asked as he reached forward to open the door.

"Let me see," Fynnis responded. "I need to overlay the position they sent me with that of-"

The turian was interrupted as the door slid open to a burst of gunfire. The squad jumped to the side on the landing as bullets filled the doorway and stairwell around them. Will pressed himself up against the wall and cursed at the level of his shields, both thankful they had saved his life and irritated that they were so low.

"I saw three of them!" Eleena called.

"We're a little boxed in here," Kay complained over the storm of bullets.

Eleena edged up to the doorway. "Everyone get ready to hit them! I'm drawing their attention!"

Before Will could object the asari slid into the doorway half-crouched and burst forward in a biotic charge. Will jumped through the door after her as the gunfire from their enemies stopped almost immediately. Eleena had charged into a barricade and impacted the Blue Suns soldier at the very center, throwing him back and off of his feet. The two others, however, were spinning to face her with the rifles leveled and ready to shoot. The RMC squad opened fire on the two Blue Suns soldiers as they did on Eleena. The asari gritted her teeth and held out her hands to erect a biotic barrier around her just as the first few shots impacted her shields. The Blue Suns were not so lucky. Gunfire tore down their shields as Will charged forward and jumped over the barricade to slam his weapon's stock into the helmet of the enemy on his right. As the other soldier turned to fire helplessly at the RMC squad, Eleena dropped her barrier and brought her SMG to bear on the first of the three that she had hit with her charge. Within a few seconds, all three were dead.

Will spun to face Eleena with wide eyes. "What is  _wrong_ with you? I thought matrons were supposed to be  _patient_."

The asari placed her hands on her knees and leaned forward as she panted. " _More_  patient," she correct with a deep breath. "More is relative."

"Good job," Kallux commended as he leapt over the barricade. "Fynnis, where to?"

The turian pointed down the hall. "Left at the next intersection and straight on until the end of the hallway. They're at one of the docking stations," he explained. "Area for loading and unloading cargo. And we should hurry. The Collective squad is barely holding out."

"Let's go!" Will shouted as he turned and broke out into a run.

He held his breath as they rounded their next corner. Will was half expecting another ambush, but was met with only a wide hallway that ended in a double-wide door and a sign above it reading "Bay 02" in red letters.

"This is it," Fynnis warned them.

"Patch me into the Blue Suns comm network, Fynnis." Will lifted his rifle into firing position as they slowed in front of the door. "Get ready!"

A new comm channel alert appeared on the side of his HUD. Will nodded to himself and stared ahead. The heavy airlock door slowly began to slide open as the sounds of gunshots and explosions started pouring through the tiny crack in the two halves of the door. After five seconds the door had split far enough for Will to slide through and into the fight. He stepped into a large, single-level room with a high ceiling. It was lined with rows of crates and shipping containers on pallets waiting to be loaded onto a ship. Through the large, floor-to-ceiling windows on the left side of the room was an enormous vessel that Will recognized as Janson's flagship,  _Prospect,_  where a long docking ramp extended out from the wall to the hull. He slid into the closest spot of cover, a crate marked "Fragile" and made a visual sweep of the room.

The RMC squad was on the far side of the room with their backs to the wall. Will could only see four or five Collective troops remaining and putting up a fight. Between them, however, in what would be the focal point of crossfire in mere seconds, were roughly a dozen Blue Suns soldiers. Fynnis had not been exaggerating about the RMC squad's dire situation. The Blue Suns were about fifteen meters away in the rows of crates with an intimidating roster of targets. Two engineers, a captain, two elites and another officer all surrounded by just as many Blue Suns grunts. Will took aim on the mass of blue and white at the center of the room and pulled his trigger. The rest of the  _Trueshot_ squad was sliding into cover around him as the Blue Suns recognized the danger.

" _Enemies on the flank!"_  One of the Blue Suns shouted through their comm.

Then, the voice Will was hoping to hear.

" _I told those worthless fucks to hold the stairs!"_  Janson yelled.

The officer in the group spun to face the newly arrived squad. Will could see his face through his visor. He gritted his teeth and continued to fire. On the opposite side of the room two more RMC soldiers were gone, having either gone down or taken cover. The Blue Suns soldiers turned to focus the majority of their fire on the  _Trueshot_  fireteam, only to duck instinctively as Kallux's cannon began tearing into the boxes and crates around them.

"Shit!" Kay shouted while dropping down to the ground. "Fuckers overloaded my shield!"

The shields faded on one of the Blue Suns soldiers. He would have surely moved for cover had a harpoon bolt not stricken him clean through the neck the instant he because vulnerable. Will turned his rifle to the officer at the center of the group: Janson. After only a few shots, however, he saw the familiar motion of a grenade being primed in the corner of his eye. One of the elites had cocked his arm back and was about to throw the explosive when a shot from Kallux's cannon ripped through the turian's arm. It fell to the ground with the grenade still clutched in the severed hand.

"Grenade!" Eleena shouted in warning.

The blast ripped through their ears, but was too far away to hurt them. It did, however, catch not only a few Blue Suns but a number of crates that had already been weakened by the gunfire. No more than a second after the first blast erupted, one of the weakened crates exploded as well. Then a second, and third.

"Get down, get down," Will urged. "It's a-"

He stopped yelling as the sound of the chain reaction explosions drowned out his voice. Will pressed his back against the crate beside him and glanced to the side. He felt a small sense of relief seeing no "Warning" or "Danger" labels. About ten seconds after the initial grenade had exploded, the explosions stopped and were replaced by the crackle and roar of flame. The ringing in Will's ears was almost unbearable. He pushed himself up and looked over the edge of his cover to see fire, smoke and debris filling the room as a consequence of the stray explosive. Considering the violent nature of the explosions, Will couldn't imagine more than half of the Blue Suns had survived.

" _Fuck it, I'm getting the ship ready to go!"_ Janson coughed. " _Hold them back until we're ready to blast out of here!"_

"No!" Will yelled. "Everyone charge! Stop them!"

He jumped up and over the crate with the rest of the  _Trueshot_ squad following his lead up and down the room. Gunfire cut through the smoke and flames as Will ran toward the wall with the airlock that led out to the ship. A beeping rang out in his ears as his shields drew dangerously low.

"Will, wait!" Someone called.

He ignored them and darted through the debris and flames. Then, like a ghost from the smoke, the unmistakable shape of the man he sought to kill appeared before him. Janson stood at the airlock door leading out to his ship, waiting as it opened. The Blue Suns officer glanced back over his shoulder just in time to see Will come charging into him with a hefty punch to the side of his head. Janson stumbled back as his helmet absorbed the blow, allowing him to quickly recover and raise his weapon. Will swiped at the gun with his own rifle, knocking it to the side as he opened fire at point-blank range. Janson's shields flared, but held strong as he growled and swung a punch back at Will that hit him square in the neck. Will reeled back in shock from the hit. Janson paused for the slightest moment as he saw the face of his attacker through Will's visor.

"You?" He barked in disbelief. "You  _again?_  How are you  _still_ a pain in my ass!?" Janson screamed as he swung at Will again.

The second punch hit Will's armored torso as he drew his sidearm and fired off a few shots. Janson lunged forward to disarm him and delivered a swift kick to Will's leg, dropping him slightly, but not enough to force him down to the ground.

"I'm here to pay you back," Will growled, slightly out of breath.

Behind them, the airlock door to the docking ramp had opened. Will leapt forward and tackled them both to the ground in the doorway of the ramp as smoke began flowing in behind them. Janson slammed another punch into Will's neck and pushed him off to the side. They rolled and jumped up as Janson drew his own pistol and began firing into Will's diminished shields. Three shots made quick work of the remainder of his kinetic barrier as Will desperately dove toward Janson to knock the weapon out of his hands. Two more shots were absorbed by his armor. He grabbed Janson's wrist and twisted it unnaturally, forcing it to drop from his hand, but not before the final two bullets cut through Will's chest and bicep armor. He scream involuntarily in pain. Blood sprayed out from Will's left arm as his fingers wrapped around the grip of the pistol and his shoulder slammed into Janson's chest, forcing him stumbling back onto the ground. Will gritted his teeth to endure the pain in his chest and arm out of raw adrenaline and fervor as he lifted the gun with his right arm and began firing.

"You're a god damned fool!" Janson taunted as he rolled and pushed himself up.

Janson's shields absorbed most of the shots as he charged at Will and tackled him to the ground even further down the boarding ramp. The two of them let out a guttural groan as they hit the ground with enough force to stun Will, his head still ringing from when it he hit it in the initial Kodiak crash. He could hear yelling, both in his headset and in the room as it burned. He could hear words, both from his friends and their enemies, but he couldn't listen to them. Not yet. Will shook as Janson threw a punch into his helmet, then another. Will scrambled to kick him off and reached for the pistol that had fallen from his grip.

"Consequences... always catch up to people like you... eventually," Will spat as he grabbed the pistol and whipped it across Janson's visor to put a splitting crack through it.

They separated and pulled themselves to their feet as Will lifted the gun and held his sights on Janson's head.

"And you're going to die knowing it was  _me_  who finally caught up to you," Will said as he stared through hateful, narrowed eyes.

In that split second, Will thought it odd that Janson simply stood there. He was no more than three or so meters away, staring him down without an arrogant or insane taunt to throw out in his last moments. Then he saw the reason in his eyes and in the thuds of metal boots growing behind him. Janson was not staring at him. Will spun to look back toward the docking bay just in time see the Blue Suns elite slam a orange, glowing fist into his torso. The omniblade pierced clean through Will's abdomen and left him to crumble to the ground.

"The others are dead," the elite reported as he and another Blue Suns soldier ran by.

Will came to a stop on the deck of the station motionless and in shock.

"Let's get the hell out of here," Janson growled.

Will gasped for breath as his head lay on the ground staring toward the end of the boarding ramp. Janson and his two underlings were already sprinting toward the airlock of the ship.

"No," Will muttered as blood began leaking from his lips.

As the ship's airlock door opened a number of gunshots echoed through the hall while bullets whizzed toward the Blue Suns soldiers. With the airlock open, they easily slid into safety and ordered the door shut behind them. Just before the door closed, Janson looked back over his shoulder to where Will lay bleeding on the ground. He could have sworn he saw Janson laugh as his vision blurred.

"He's getting away!" He coughed through blood.

Will felt himself jostled and his head lifted up as his helmet was pulled off. Through his fading vision he could see Eleena's purple shape looking down at him, speaking words that he could not hear. A warm sensation of relief spread over the gaping wound in his torso as his eyes finally closed and his head sunk to the side.

* * *

The door to the bridge slid open for Janson to come marching in.

"Watch the door," he ordered to Septarus.

The elite nodded and halted in the hallway as he checked over his rifle. As the door shut, Janson ripped off his helmet and threw it onto the command console at the center of the room. His helmsman was already in position, ready to punch the ship into emergency power, push away from the station and jump to FTL.

"These little shits!" Janson growled.

"Where are we headed?" The helmsman asked, ignoring the routine outburst.

Janson shook his head. "Comm buoy. I need to get Dal'serah on the horn. We're gonna need another hundred bodies to retake the station if the fucking RMC plans on occupying."

"We'll have power in a little over a minute," the helmsman reported.

Janson muttered angrily and reached to activate the control panel at the center of his console. Nearly a hundred estimated dead. He gritted his teeth and slammed his fist down before swiping over to the fleet overview. There he saw the truly infuriating news.

"They've taken out half the  _fucking_  fleet!" He bellowed. "How the hell did they hit us this hard!"

"Took out a lot of ships when they were still docked," the helmsman replied. "Almost considered disobeying your hold order, but I think having all the systems powered down actually made us a low-pri target."

"Better be glad you didn't," Janson grumbled. "You'd have your fucking throat slit."

He reached forward to the comm controls and brought up a broadcast alert. Janson cleared his throat and leaned on his hands.

"This is Janson. I want all ships to jump to FTL now and regroup at the following coordinates in twenty hours." He tapped a button on the console to transmit the small coordinate package. "Janson, out."

He closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. It was no coincidence that Will Hume had been there.

"I should have dumped that prick out the airlock the second I saw his face," Janson muttered to himself.

"You know what they say about hindsight," the helmsman quipped. "Alright, powering up major systems. Kinetic barriers are active. Security systems are active. Thrust control and FTL core are active. Pushing off."

A voice crackled from Janson's omnitool.

" _Oh, shit! Janson, we've got-"_

A few loud thump rang out behind them. Janson snapped his head back to look over his shoulder to the door at the back of the bridge. He slowly turned himself to face it and lifted his omnitool to his lips as he spoke.

"Septarus, report," he said.

The door opened to the body of the turian elite slumped against wall of the hallway and two figures standing in the door frame: a woman and a krogan. Janson reached down to his holster, only to find it empty. The pistol lay somewhere in the docking ramp where Will Hume lay bleeding out. He cursed to himself and ducked involuntarily as gunshots rang out from behind him. Janson dove to the side and looked to the helmsman as he sprayed SMG fire toward the two enemies as they came charging into the room. The woman leveled her rifle and sprayed it into the helmsman, ripping open his helmet and killed him almost instantly. Through the viewport Janson could see the ship floating away from the station at the last trajectory it had been given, now with no one at the controls.

"Stand up," the krogan ordered.

Janson's eyes darted toward the back wall. They two intruders were directly between him and the only weapon rack on the bridge. There was a handgun at the crew station beside him, but it would be completely obvious if he reached for it. He groaned irritably and rose up from behind the console with his eyes leveled on the two of them. He recognized the krogan.

"Kallux," he said. "Guess it was too much to hope that you'd died back in that pathetic 'home base?'"

"You did less damage than you thought," the woman taunted.

Janson didn't recognize her. She didn't wear RMC colors. Or any other notable colors.

"Who the fuck are you?" He asked.

"Name's Kay," she replied. "And sorry, that's the only question I'm going to answer."

Janson rolled his eyes. "Well aren't you edgy. So now what?" He put on a mocking frown. "You gonna take me to jail?"

Kallux laughed wickedly as he pulled a cylindrical demolition charge from his belt and placed it on the center console. "Na. You blew it up."

Janson glanced down to the massive cannon the krogan gripped in his offhand. He didn't fear many things. But he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that.

"So what's the plan then?" He asked. "I know you RMC pussies don't know how to-"

"Lemme stop you right there," Kay interrupted firmly. "I'm not with the Red Moon Collective." She lowered her rifle and took a few steps forward. "Don't even really given a shit about 'em, to be honest. I actually think they're more than a little naive."

"Then what are you doing here?" Janson asked, clearly short of patience.

"I'm here to hurt you," Kay answered very matter-of-factly.

Janson set his jaw firmly. "Come on, really? With Kallux, the king of playing nice right behind you?"

She laughed and slid her rifle onto her back. "He knows damn well why I'm here. Truth is, neither of us wanted to be the one to do this. That was supposed to be someone else's job."

Her tone had changed drastically. Instead of cool and collected, she was now very clearly angry.

"Let me guess: that prick, Hume? The one that got gutted out on the boarding ramp?" Janson let out a fake gasp and lifted a hand over his mouth. "Oh, oh my goodness. That was it, wasn't it? I hope I didn't touch on a sensitive subject," he said as condescendingly as possible.

Kay smirked and put a hand on his shoulder. "Ya know, even if Will didn't have a damn thing to do with this, I still wouldn't think twice before ending you. Wanna know why?" She leaned forward and lowered her voice. "Because you're a slaving piece of shit."

Janson saw his chance. He grabbed the pistol from the desk beside him and swung it up to point at the woman, only to have her intercept his arm with her left hand. She gripped his wrist tight and fast, holding it in place as she stared him down and grabbed the knife on her belt with the other hand.

"Stupid move," she spat.

In a quick, fluid motion her right hand pulled the knife from its sheath and sliced it clean across his throat. Janson's eyes went wide as he gasped for air and gripped at the blood pouring from his neck. He dropped to his knees as Kay shoved the knife back into its sheath and turned away without another look. Kallux gave her a grim nod as she stepped past him. Together, they readied their weapons and exited the bridge as Janson's hands fell to his sides and the gasps for breath stopped.


	37. Chapter 37

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 37**

_**Yalrek** _

"Those are… better numbers than I was expecting," Kallux said reluctantly. "But still too high."

Malylen gave him a solemn nod and glanced up to the holoprojector at the center of the  _Aberrant_  command center. Out of the Collective's seventy-two person team, only thirty-four had survived the assault on the Blue Suns base. Out of them, only a handful had escaped unscathed. The  _Quindel_ had been lost with only one survivor and  _Granther_ was damaged so badly it had to be scuttled, with another two members of its crew being lost.

"It is regrettable. But every one of them volunteered," Malylen reminded him. "And they knew what we were planning."

"So where does that leave the others?" Kallux asked. "The survivors."

"Approximately half of them were members of the Collective prior to the militarization movement," the salarian informed him. "And the majority of them are eager to return to the old practices. Perhaps with a larger emphasis on collaboration when a heavy task falls into someone's lap."

Kallux looked to the side. He couldn't help but feel guilty. He had been the driving force in what had been both a great rise and fall for the RMC. They had accomplished many good thing in that time, but at such a cost. He wasn't sure it was worth it.

"That's probably for the best," Kallux finally replied. "As we've discussed, any attempt to regroup in a meaningful way would only result in a more rabid pursuit by the Blue Suns."

Malylen swiped through a few lists. "There are a few people not of the original Collective that are interested in becoming part of the network, if we return to such a structure. Captain Dissanayake will be reclaiming her vessel, the  _Resolute Inquest_ , of course. She's shown interest in putting together a crew of her own." The salarian nodded to herself as she continued to read through documents. "And I approve. She proved herself one of our best leaders and officers during the two years she served with us."

Kallux looked across the briefing table. "What about you, Malylen?"

"Me?" She shook her head. "I don't know. I'm getting too old for field work. I will probably look into consulting for security agencies."

"Shame you're not a native of Sur'Kesh," the krogan mused. "You'd be a damn good politician."

Malylen let out a small sigh. "Perhaps. But I see no point in dwelling on hypotheticals." She raised a brow and tilted her head. "You Kallux? What are you plans?"

Kallux exhaled deeply. "Once the official order's been given about the dissolution? I don't really know yet. The Collective's all I've really known for nearly a century."

"Are you implying that you wish to leave?" She asked quietly. "Even if returns to its old form, the RMC will always be a home for you."

The krogan shook his head. "I don't 'wish' for anything right now," he answered.

Malylen shut down the holoprojector. "No matter what you end up doing, know that you will have an ally in me."

Kallux straightened himself up. "Of course. And the same goes from me to you, Malylen. Now I should probably get down to the surface. I'll send the official notice to disband within the next few hours."

The salarian walked to one of the command consoles on the  _Aberrant's_  rather small bridge. "I will keep the ship in orbit for you and relinquish command as soon as you are willing to take it."

"I don't know what I'm going to do with this thing. The  _Aberrant_  has always belonged to the Collective more than me," Kallux said with uncertainty.

"The ship is yours, Kallux. You know that," Malylen assured him. "No one else deserves to take it."

"If you say so." The krogan turned for the lift to take him down to the shuttle bay. "You and the crew should take a little while to relax, Malylen. I'll be back in a few hours."

* * *

"If the numbers that Kallux sent me are correct," Fynnis began as he looked through his omnitool, "we're looking at between fifteen and twenty thousand credits per person."

"Damn!" Kay said with a small laugh. "That's better than I expected."

"We got a number of back doors in their server nodes," Fynnis continued. "I drained as much as I could, but it's still barely a fraction of what the Blue Suns have available." He shook his head. "Un-fucking-believable how much wealth they've amassed in only a few decades."

"We have seen what kind of business they practice in order to accumulate said wealth," T'Lees reminded them.

Fynnis glanced up, a little worried about someone overhearing their conversation. The table they sat at in the bistro seemed to be receiving no more special attention than any other, both in terms of onlookers and service. The turian glanced out the window to the busy marketplace one last time before turning his attention back to the data on his omnitool.

"T'Lees, I'll wire your cut as soon as we've got a final tally. Should more than make up for what you spent supplying the RMC," Fynnis informed her.

"Thank you," she replied simply.

Kay sat back in her chair and took a sip of her beer. "So where the hell do we go from here?"

Fynnis closed his omnitool and took a sip of his whiskey. "Honestly, I have no idea."

T'Lees shifted in her seat as her eye wandered the room of tables and dining patrons. "I would prefer to leave Jalnor and Lorek as quickly as possible."

Kay nodded. "Me too. I saw a local news report this morning about a 'conflict' above Yalrek. The military is launching a full investigation and I'd rather not be around just in case they manage to be competent."

"I don't think we have much to worry about," Fynnis assured her. "We got patched up at those medical centers without any problems. I'm willing to bet that random acts of violence are common enough out here that gunshot wounds aren't out of the ordinary."

"I guess," Kay conceded. "But the damage the  _Trueshot_  took? Probably not so much."

Fynnis shook his head. "Which is why we should bring it to Omega for repairs."

"You don't need to convince me," Kay quickly argued. "If Eleena says the ship's safe to fly then I'll trust her. But I don't like those holes."

"She said it was mostly cosmetic damage to the armor plating," T'Lees reminded her. "Eleena knows what she is talking about."

Kay glanced over to T'Lees and grinned. "I  _said_  I didn't need convincing."

The asari smiled and placed a hand on her arm. "It is alright, Kay. We will not tell anyone that you were  _worried_ about something."

Kay rolled her eyes as she fought her grin and took another sip of her drink. Fynnis looked down to his omnitool as it chirped to alert him of a new message. His mandibles flared as he read it and quickly downed another sip of his whiskey.

"I got a message from Kallux," Fynnis said.

T'Lees tilted her head. "Oh?'

"I think it's for the RMC," the turian explained. "But he included us on the message as well."

"What's it say?" Kay asked.

Fynnis cleared his throat and recited the message aloud. "Fellow members of the Collective, I thank you. Those words may ring hollow when one reflects on the years and lives given in service of the hope to do good in a corner of the galaxy that would laugh at the notion. We've lost a lot in the past few weeks, in every sense of the word, but one thing we'll always have is the knowledge of what good we did do together. As of now the Red Moon Collective has officially disbanded as a structured organization, but we will continue on as we did before: a group of people with like-minded moralities, ready and willing to help one another if the need should ever arise. I thank you all again, and wish you luck in your journeys. If you ever need someone at your side, I promise I will answer the call."

Kay quietly finished her drink and nodded to herself. "Normally I'd be cynical, but I'm just not feeling it for some reason."

"I can assure you Kallux meant every word," T'Lees said quietly.

"I don't doubt it," Kay said. "Not anymore."

Fynnis closed his omnitool and finished the last of his whiskey. "Never met a krogan who liked words as much as he does."

T'Lees shook her head. "He is a strange one."

Kay set her glass down. "Strange as he may be, he knew that Janson had to die. And that's good enough for me."

* * *

All he could feel as his eyes fluttered open was dull pain across his entire torso and side. Will let out a small groan and reached up with one hand to rub his eyes in a subconscious attempt to cure his blurred vision. He blinked a few times before forcing his eyes completely open to observe his surroundings. He was laying in a moderately comfortable bed with a set of medical equipment blinking to his left. Medical center, he thought to himself. Though it was clearly nowhere as nice as Saneer on Omega. There were no windows, which he was actually thankful for, and only a few soft lights hanging from the ceiling to illuminate the entire room. On the left side of the bed was a turian looking over a glowing orange holopad. The turian did not seem terribly interested in Will. He smiled as his eyes fell onto the two people standing to the left side of the bed, one with her arms crossed and the other with them folded behind her back.

"Why the  _hell_ did you do that?" Eleena demanded.

Will's small laugh was stifled by pain. "I guess I'm okay then?" He rasped. "I mean, if you're opening with that then I can't be too bad."

"Yes, you are okay," the turian spoke. "For the most part."

Will shifted to look back to the left. With his eyes now mostly in focus he could see the turian was wearing a standard doctor's jumpsuit.

"You suffered multiple gunshots and a nasty stab wound that punctured a few intestines," the doctor continued. "You're lucky your friends got you here quickly."

"Yes I am," Will agreed with a thankful look to the side.

The doctor finally looked up from his holopad. "Your information says you're from off-world. Next time you visit Jalnor I suggest you stay away from the northern side of town."

Will furrowed his brow slightly and was given a solid stare from Eleena as she gave him a stern nod.

"Yes, he will," she scolded.

The turian passive scratched his neck. "Good." He looked back to his holopad. "Your emergency surgery was a success and you responded quite well to the regenerative therapy, but I'm going to keep you around for another day or so in case any complications arise."

"Thank you so much for your help," Shansa said to the doctor.

He simply nodded in acknowledgment. "Visiting hours end in about half an hour," he informed them. "And please alert us if you need anything, Mister Hume."

Will sighed heavily. "I will, thanks."

The turian looked to each of them before turning and briskly exiting the room. As the door closed behind him, Eleena placed her hands on the bed and leaned forward.

"Now it's time to answer my question. What the  _hell_ were you thinking running off like that?" She demanded. "Through the middle of the crossfire? And  _literal_ fire?"

Will blinked to himself as he thought back for the first time since he had woken up. What he remembered from the last few minutes came flooding in: the gunfight, the fire, Janson running. He jerked in shock and sat up into a sitting position.

"Janson," he said. "What happened? He was… he was getting on the ship…"

Eleena looked back to Shansa. The pilot put on a straight face and slid up to sit on the bed beside him with her legs hanging off the side.

"He's dead, Will," she said quietly.

Will let out a short exhale as he stared her down. "How?"

"Kay got to him," Shansa explained. "She and Kallux boarded his ship before it could depart."

"And they killed him?" Will asked.

"Kay slit his throat," Shansa answered flatly.

Will closed his eyes and leaned back. He felt a weight slowly lifting from his head and chest as he struggled to keep his breathing steady. As a hand grasped his Will opened his eyes to see Eleena looking down to him with a look of loving concern. Will took a deep, calming breath and smiled softly in thanks.

"What… what about the others?" He slowly asked.

Shansa motioned toward the asari beside her. "Eleena, Fynnis and T'Lees got you to a shuttle and brought you down here to Jalnor as quickly as they could."

"Sounds like you were fast enough to keep me alive," Will said with an appreciative smile to Eleena.

"We were," Eleena said as she narrowed her eyes. "Now answer my question."

"You know why I did it," Will finally answered. "If I hadn't… who knows when I'd have gotten the chance again."

Eleena shook her head and squeeze his hand. "I should be angry, but… instead I'm just going to thank the fucking goddess that you're alive."

Shansa lowered her voice and spoke noticeably slower. "Do you feel better, Will? Now that he's gone?"

He slowly averted his eyes. It was hard to tell. The impact was still sinking in.

"I don't know if better is the right word," Will admitted as he reached up and placed a hand over his eyes. "Maybe relieved. It's like before I could barely see or hear and now it's… clear."

He opened his eyes and looked to both of them. They sat in silence for a short moment until Will spoke once again.

"Thank you for being there for me." He chuckled lightly. "God, I just realized how empty that sounds. I mean, compared to what you two have done for me."

"Not just us," Shansa reminded him. "Some people gave everything."

Will's heart sank. "Ralliston..." He leaned his head back. "Everyone else is okay, right? You're sure?"

"I don't know about the rest of the RMC, but we're all fine," Eleena reassured him. "A few injuries here and there, but we're all in one piece. Well, almost all of us."

The piercing guilt that Will had felt back on the station had returned like the very blade that had cut him down.

"I can't believe, it" Will mumbled. "After everything he survived… to just die like that."

Shansa averted her eyes as Eleena nodded sadly.

"I know. It's hard to deal with," the asari said. "It always is."

Will shook his head. "I should have saved him."

"No, Will," Eleena said firmly. "Ralliston was reckless and cocky." She frowned. "It was only a matter of time before he slipped up. I don't like it either, but you know it's true."

"I should have at least forgiven him sooner," Will said with a sigh. "I felt so insincere telling him while he lay there dying."

"He knew you meant it," Eleena assured him.

"Don't let this take you over, Will," Shansa added. "After you 'died' I had to come to terms with something. Out here, doing what we do, people die. Most of the time it's too soon. But if they're lucky those people die doing something really good for the galaxy or their friends or even one person."

The funny thing was, he already knew this to be true. But there was something about Ralliston's unrelenting desire for penance that made Will feel even more guilty for his death. If he had just forgiven the turian... Will shook his head. Shasna was right. He couldn't let this of all things take over now.

Will looked up to her. "Thanks, Shan."

She gave him a half-smile and nodded. "He was a good guy. Not all the time, but enough to make it count."

Eleena chuckled softly. "Barely."

Will let out a bittersweet smile and shook his head. "I'll miss him."

"Me too," Shansa agreed.

"Yeah. Me too," Eleena admitted.

A silence fell over them. Eleena squeezed Will's hand once before releasing it and stepping back.

"Maybe we should let you get some rest," Shansa said.

Will nodded lightly. "Yeah. That might be nice. I'm… kind of tired."

Shansa slid off the bed. "I'll let the others know you're awake."

"I appreciate it," Will said as he shifted down into a more comfortable position. "Thank you for being here."

"Of course, Will," Shansa chuckled. "We wouldn't be anywhere else."

He smiled comfortably and shut his eyes. Eleena leaned down and ruffled his hair before she and Shansa turned and walked to the door.

* * *

Will sat with his back against the cold metal wall of the  _Trueshot_  bunkroom. He had reluctantly followed the doctor's orders and stayed the minimum thirty-six hours at the Jalnor hospital before discharging. Now he, Eleena, Shansa, Kay, T'Lees and Fynnis were on their way back to Omega where Will fully intended to take as long as he damn well wanted to feel better. Kallux had already made his way back to Omega on the  _Aberrant_  with Malylen and nearly a dozen other RMC soldiers. Ex-soldiers, rather. Like Will, Kallux had also expressed a rather unsure outlook on what he would do once they had recovered. Hopefully the krogan wouldn't mind talking it through whenever they found time, but for now, Will simply looked down to the holopad in his hands and read through the asari novel that Eleena had given him.

The door pinged softly, giving him a slight jump in surprise as he looked up to see Kay stroll casually through the door.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Your turn to check up on me?" Will teased.

Kay smirked. "No, just wanted to see how you were doing."

He raised a brow. "I'm okay. I guess. Why do you ask?"

She came to a stop and sat on the bed across from him. "I can't ask how you're doing?"

"You can," Will said with a small laugh. "Normally you're just not very interested."

"Just because I don't go around actively asking doesn't mean I'm not interested," Kay informed him.

"Then I'm sorry for the suspicion," he said. "And like I said, I'm fine."

She nodded. He could see that she genuinely did care about both the question and answer. Of course, she would have to. Kay wasn't typically one to waste her own time.

"We haven't had much time to talk," she pointed out. "Since the fight."

Will looked across the gap between beds and met her eye. "We haven't."

Kay raised her brows. "You're welcome to start."

He nodded. "I know. I'm just trying to figure out how to thank you appropriately." Will sighed heavily. "You and Kallux did what I couldn't. If he'd gotten away…"

"You don't have to thank me," she interjected. "Seriously. I was more than happy to end that motherfucker."

Will shrugged. "Regardless, if you all hadn't been there for me, he'd still be out there."

"And you'd probably be dead," she added.

"Thanks. I'd almost forgotten about the bullet and stab wounds," he said with a grin.

Kay rolled her eyes. "Joke all you want, but that was some seriously stupid shit. You're lucky we took down most of Janson's backup before they could retreat and catch up with you two."

"I'm aware how lucky I am," Will admitted. "And I've been curious: how did you do it? When you caught Janson, I mean. Last thing I remember before blacking out was them boarding the ship."

She shifted and placed one hand on the bed as she leaned to the side. "It wasn't that hard, actually. Fynnis cracked the airlock well before his ship could cast off, so we just walked on."

"Why you and Kallux?" Will asked.

"Eleena and T'Lees opted to get you out because they could protect you with their biotics if needed. Fynnis went with them to handle any security along the way. You also had three or four RMC soldiers from the squad to help with the escort." Kay shrugged. "Kallux and I were confident we could handle the rest ourselves. We're a pretty tough pair when it comes to close-quarters combat."

He smirked. "No arguments there."

"After we got on we followed the signs to the bridge. Kallux figured Janson would be there." Kay paused and looked down to the blade on her belt. "We found him and then I slit his throat."

Will appreciated the concise, factual honesty with which Kay spoke. Especially now. He looked down and took a deep breath.

"God, I'm tired," he said quietly.

"You've been sleeping for like three days," she laughed. "I mean, a lot of that was in a medically induced coma, but still!"

Will shook his head and looked back up. "That may be true, but what I really need is some rest. And I don't just mean sleep."

Kay stood from the bed and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I think you've earned it."

"We all have," Will quickly countered.

"Eh, I'll pass," she said with a stretch of her arms. "Looking forward to hitting the bar for a  _real_ drink, though."

"A bar?" Will smiled. "If you don't mind low-key, I know a place we could go to on Omega. Been there quite a few times after nearly dying, actually."

Kay grinned. "Sounds like my kind of place."


	38. Chapter 38

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 38**

_**Omega** _

Kay leaned back in her chair and scanned the room with narrowed eyes. A low growl emerged from her throat, low enough not to be heard by anyone over the music and ambient drone of the chattering crowd. She stared at a pair of armored asari at the bar for a good ten seconds before the woman sitting to her right cleared her throat to get her attention. Kay's eyes snapped back to the asari beside her, Fayneer T'Lees, and raised a brow.

"Huh?"

"Ogling  _all_  the asari in the bar now?" T'Lees teased with a small grin.

Kay held back a snarl. "Those Eclipse bitches? Not a fucking chance."

"Keep the guns holstered," Shansa said from across the table. "I was planning on unwinding tonight."

Kay cracked her knuckles. "Didn't bring a gun. But I can't promise I won't-"

"No fists either," Shansa interrupted.

Fynnis darted through a few of the patrons surrounding the table while carefully holding the two drinks in his hands steady to keep them from spilling. He stopped and placed one in front of Shansa before taking his place in the fourth and final seat at the table.

"Thanks, Fyn," Shansa said with a smile.

The turian sat back and gave her a nod. "My pleasure."

She watched him take a sip of his own drink from the corner of her eyes before turning her attention to the drink he had delivered. Shansa kept her smile as innocent as possible as she reached for the glass and indulged.

"I agree with Shansa," T'Lees said, bringing them back on topic. "Let us focus on  _us_ for a night."

Kay lifted her beer to her lips and took a few long sips. "Right, 'us.'" She looked to T'Lees and bit her lower lip for a brief moment. "I guess I can do that. But you can't really blame me for getting restless. We've been sitting on this shit-hole station for a week now."

"Because Kallux wants everyone close by in case the Blue Suns are able to track us down," Shansa quickly reminded her. "It'll only for a few more days."

Kay grumbled. "Fine, whatever."

T'Lees reached over and placed a gentle hand on her arm. "Thank you, Kay."

Kay felt a soothing warmth from Fayneer's touch and took another sip of her beer. "Still, we've got a lot to figure out."

Fynnis took a sip of his drink. "Like?"

"Like what the hell we're doing when Kallux gives us the 'all clear.'" Kay sat forward excitedly. "I've still got a ton of leads on some gang raids, bounties, smuggling opportunities… anything! The  _Trueshot_ is opening up shop once again! And this time I've got a crew."

T'Lees chuckled. "Kay, darling, I do not want to speak for the others, but I know that I have plenty of obligations that I must attend to as soon as possible. Obligations such as my business."

"I guess you're going back to Rellistora?" Shansa asked as she sipped her cocktail.

"I have been in contact with a few members of my organization. After the commandos attacked, my contingency plan proceeded perfectly as planned." T'Lees finished her glass of wine. "But to answer your question, no, I will not be returning to Rellistora or Invictus. I will be meeting my lieutenants at a rendezvous location in the Argos Rho system."

"Where are you headed after that?" Fynnis inquired.

"I have a few options," she replied with a sly smile.

Kay's face caught Shansa's attention. Her sister wore an expression she had seldom seen since they were kids. Though, admittedly, there was nearly a decade or so long gap between then and now. Shansa had trouble pinpointing the look. Jealousy? No, she tended to act out more when she was jealous. Was it simply sadness? Shansa made a note to pester her sister about it later and took another sip of her drink.

"Sounds exciting," Shansa said. "I wish you the best of luck! And if you ever need help with anything, you know who to call."

"I will keep that in mind," T'Lees replied. "I should not be in any significant danger like those few months after Cerberus. But if I ever need a few drinks handled, I would be more than happy to call on my friends to assist me."

"Aww, we're your friends?" Fynnis asked with just enough sarcasm.

The asari nodded quite matter-of-factly. "But of course. I trust you all, Will, Kallux, and Vayren far more than I trust anyone in my own organization, sadly. But such is the life of a businesswoman in my industry."

Kay cleared her throat. "Well, uh, I'm sure you'll do great. You know, with the business stuff."

T'Lees grinned confidently. "I am sure I will as well."

Fynnis downed the last of his drink. "Ah! Good stuff. Who wants to dance?"

Kay and T'Lees perked up and turned their attention to the turian.

"Turians can dance?" Kay asked.

"If we're feeling like it," Fynnis answered. "And if you loosen the technical definition of 'dance.'"

"I would love to," T'Lees said as she stood and held a hand out to Kay. "Would you care to join me?"

Kay grabbed the hand and pulled herself up. "Hell yeah. But I should let you know right now that you ain't ready for some of these moves, Blue."

"I will be the judge of that," T'Lees laughed as they scurried off toward the dance floor.

Fynnis looked to the side as he stood. "Shansa?"

She looked up to him and nibbled the cocktail straw protruding from her glass for a moment. Shansa took a deep breath and nodded, reluctantly at first, before emptying her glass and bouncing to her feet.

"Yeah… yeah, I think that sounds fun," she said with a hint of excitement.

Fynnis motioned toward the dance floor, and she followed.

* * *

Will gasped desperately and shot up into a sitting position. His hands gripped at the sheets around him as he drew and exhaled a few loud breaths. The faint, ambient light of Omega shone through the window of the motel room and illuminated just enough for Will to see his surroundings. He was still in bed. The room was still as he had left it when he crawled into bed a few hours earlier. His arm ached terribly where he had taken a shrapnel wound during the battle with the Blue Suns. As Will closed his eyes to calm himself he felt a rustling to his side as Eleena rolled over to face him.

"Everything okay?" She managed to mumble.

He reached up and ran his fingers through his hair to bring his bangs out of his face. Will opened his eyes and looked down to see her reluctantly opening her own.

"I just had a bad dream," Will said just above a whisper.

"A 'bad dream,' huh?" She asked while pushing herself up to sit next to him.

Will's hand slowly clenched and released the sheet between his fingers.

"Ralliston was in it," he replied.

Eleena reached up and placed a hand on his shoulder. Somehow she knew that Will didn't need her to say anything. He appreciated the quiet consolation until he reached up to squeeze her hand before sliding from the bed and walking to the center of the room.

"I thought it'd be easier by now," Will admitted.

"It's barely been a week since he died," Eleena reminded him. "It's okay to mourn someone for longer."

"It's not just him," Will replied. "I thought it'd be easier to deal with Welkinn and Vayren… hell, even Corsin. I mean, it's been years for some of them."

The asari gave him a tiny, reassuring smile. "It's okay to miss someone."

"I wouldn't say I 'miss' them," Will said as he walked toward the window. "It's that I can't shake that feeling that I did something wrong. That I could have prevent all of this." He reached forward and cracked the blinds a tiny bit to look out to the Omega skyline.

Eleena put her feet on the floor and walked to Will's side. "We've had this conversation before, Will. I don't know what else to tell you. Remember Sommesh? Back when Shansa was hurt and we were rushing her back to Omega? I told you that sometimes you just can't control what happens out here." She shrugged. "I don't know if what I said back then is entirely true. Things aren't always  _that_ black and white. But I still think the basic sentiment holds true."

Will nodded shamefully. "And I feel like you've had to tell me this a thousand times."

"Don't be silly. It's been a few hundred times at most." She took her hand in his. "Everything is going to be alright, Will. Really. And for what it's worth, I still think you've been a damn fine leader. I wouldn't have been fighting at your side for so long if I didn't."

"I don't want to be a leader," Will said. "Not right now. Not in the way I have been. I don't want people's lives depending on what I say or do anymore."

Eleena looked out the window with him. "Then don't do it. No one is going to make you."

"And you're okay with that?" He asked.

She cocked a brow. "Me? Why wouldn't I be?"

"You fell in love with Captain William Hume, the rogue mercenary captain," Will said, half-jokingly. "I don't want you to think lesser of-"

Eleena pulled her hand from his and smacked his arm. "What the fuck is wrong with you? Why would I think less of you for something stupid like that?"

Will rubbed his arm. "A few years ago we were both young, adventurous people. And that person I was… is different from who I am now."

"You haven't lost your thirst for adventure or experiencing the galaxy, Will. Trust me." She smirked and ran her fingers through his hair. "I see and feel it in you whenever we're together. But I also know that you're scared."

He looked over to her. "That's probably all true. But I know that right now, at this moment, I just need to take a break for a while. I need some rest."

Eleena leaned over and kissed him. "Then rest as long as you want, Will, and I'll be right there with you."

"You're sure you aren't going to get restless?" Will asked worriedly. "Or bored?"

"I don't know if I can answer that, Will. It depends on where we go and what we end up doing," Eleena answered. "But if I do, we'll talk and figure out what to do about it. We have mouths and the means to use them, remember? We know how to  _converse_ with one another."

"I don't ever want you to feel like I'm holding you back," he restated.

She shook her head. "Are you always this fucking paranoid?"

Will chuckled. "No. We were just apart for so long… I don't want to lose you again."

Eleena reached up and put her arm around his shoulder. She turned and looked out the window as she rested her head on his with a small sigh.

"You won't. Now let's get some sleep. We'll have a lot to talk about tomorrow."

* * *

A siren blared somewhere off in the distance. The sound rang from far enough away that only a faint echo reached Kallux as he walked down Omega street. The krogan kept his eyes wandering. Whenever he saw a shape of blue or white he couldn't help but lock onto it for a short time. Usually it was nothing. A piece of cloth, paper or a sign. But once in a while he would see the colors slathered across a set of heavy armor with the Blue Suns logo emblazoned somewhere prominent. Kallux did his best not to bare his teeth. Luckily, as a krogan, he did not strike passersby as atypical when he wasn't able to keep his glower contained. He slowed as he approached his destination and looked up to the sign hanging above the door of the bar.

"Nal's Place," he read aloud.

Having arrived at the correct bar, Kallux passed through the door and did a quick visual sweep of the seating area. About a dozen people sat scattered around the tables. Two humans at the far wall. A turian and salarian at another table. A group of three asari that looked to be dancers having just come off a shift were gathered and talking at the table closest to the bar. Kallux shifted his attention to the bar itself where he saw who he was looking for. The krogan stomped across the room and pulled himself onto a rather small stool.

"Think you can balance on that?" Nellie asked.

"I'll be fine," Kallux grunted, slightly unsure.

"If you say so," she replied.

The krogan got the bartender's attention and motioned toward a bottle of ryncol with one finger raised. The batarian grabbed a glass and filled it with a shot the liquor before sliding it down to the krogan and turning his eyes to one of the asari dancers who had approached the bar with an empty drink.

"Surprised you can drink that stuff," Nellie commented. "My throat burns just smelling it."

Kallux lifted the glass and downed the shot in one quick gulp. "Ahh. Well, krogan aren't as squishy as you humans."

He'd always liked Captain Dissanayake. She was determined, level-headed, and actually kept her people in line. Unlike a number of the officers in the Collective.

Kallux looked over to her. "So what'd you want?"

She seemed slightly taken aback by the blunt comment. "I… am not inconveniencing you, am I?"

He let out a sigh. "No. No, you're not. Sorry."

Nellie shifted in her seat and looked to her own glass. "I asked you here for your advice."

"My advice?" Kallux repeated. "On what?"

"I've told you my plans now that the RMC is no more," Nellie began.

Kallux shook his head. "The Collective isn't gone. It's just back to what it used to be."

"That's the crux of my dilemma," she continued. "You recruited me only a few years ago. I don't know how or what the Collective used to be! You've told me and the other members of my crew, those who are staying with me at least, that we'll always be welcome as members of the RMC." She let out an exasperated sigh. "What does that mean? What… what am I supposed to do now as a damned member of the Collective?"

"You go back to what you were doing before you joined," Kallux answered as he waved down the bartender again. "Or something like that. You were a smuggler, right?"

Nellie nodded once. "Yes. With the outfitting my ship has, we were exceptional at holding our own on dangerous runs."

The krogan held out his glass as the bartender filled it. "There you go," he replied. "You do that."

"But  _where_  does the RMC fit in?" Nellie said, now on the verge of irritation. "Are you not just telling me to return to my old life?"

Kallux lifted the glass and closed his eyes as he downed the shot. He took a long, deep breath as he enjoyed the burning liquid. The krogan set the glass down and opened his eyes while collecting his thoughts.

"You do whatever you want," Kallux reiterated. "But you can also reach out to the network if you're unsure or need help. You can answer the call if someone else needs help." He turned to face her as he continued. "If some nameless fool that's in trouble reaches out to the Collective, you can volunteer to help them."

"How is that supposed to keep my ship running?" Nellie asked. "It's not cheap to fly out here."

"You hope they can pay," Kallux laughed. "And if not? Well, we're realists, Captain Dissanayake. No one in the Collective is going to judge you if you don't put it all on the line for nothing in return." He considered this for a moment. "Though I'd be lying if I said most of us hadn't done that once in a while."

The human woman turned back to her drink and took a sip. Kallux couldn't tell if the look in her eyes was confusion, doubt, regret or maybe just mild apprehension. The krogan leaned slightly closer to her and cleared his throat.

"You want to know the most important thing?"

Nellie gave him a sideways glance and waited.

"Despite everything I just said, there are no 'rules' for the Collective. Not anymore. We tried that and it didn't work. You aren't required to do anything, and you aren't going to be punished if you don't." Kallux continued to hold his eyes on her steadily. "All you need to concern yourself with is doing the right thing as often as you can."

"This sounds less like an organization or guild and more like a code," Nellie observed.

"No harm in looking at it that way," Kallux replied. "You can see it however you want. Let the RMC be to you whatever you think it should be. I tried to make it what I wanted it to be for everyone else and that was a big mistake."

"I see." Nellie turned back to her drink and finished off the last few sips before sliding from her seat and giving Kallux a nod of thanks. "I'll keep all that in mind. But I should be on my way. My crew is waiting for me."

The krogan chuckled. "I didn't scare you off, did I?"

She shook her head with a smirk. "No, sir. I mean… Kallux. You don't intimidate me."

"Hah!" Kallux laughed. "I like you, Dissanayake. Good luck."

Nellie gave him one last quick salute. The krogan nodded in acknowledgment as she dropped her hand back to her side and held it out in offering. Their hands met in a firm shake.

"Don't forget to call on me and my crew if you need to," Nellie reminded him.

Something about her optimism put a small smile on the krogan's face.

"You too," Kallux replied.

Nellie pulled her hand back before turning and making her way to the door. Kallux motioned for the bartender to give him another shot, which he soon receiving and drank. After sitting quietly for a few minutes longer Kallux paid his tab and followed in Nellie's footsteps back into the street. He had just enough ryncol in his system to bring his spirits up just a tad higher than they had been most of the week. Kallux activated his omnitool and looked down to the clock. Still early in the afternoon, at least for Omega time. He hadn't eaten in a while, perhaps he would call up Malylen or Hume to see if they would be interested in grabbing a bite.

The krogan slowed as a faint grunt and shout of exertion rang out. He looked up and down the street. Only a few people, mostly walking along and minding their own business. He heard another shout and this time he could narrow the point of origin to somewhere up ahead. An alleyway about twenty meters down the street. Kallux quickened his pace once again and turned around the corner into the alley. It was filled with crates, empty boxes and garbage. But no people. At the end of the alley, however, was a T-intersection where the faint sounds of a scuffle echoed across the metal walls. Kallux walked toward the intersection as quietly as he could and cursed the fact that he had left his sidearm in his hotel room. As he reached the intersection he looked around the corner to the left where he a poorly dressed batarian was scrambling to fight off a pair of turians. Kallux gritted his teeth and stepped around the corner.

"What the hell are you doing?" The krogan rumbled.

One of the turians spun to face him and lifted a pistol. Kallux halted a few meters back and narrowed his eyes.

"Just get the fucking cred stick," the armed turian snapped.

The other tackled the batarian to the ground and delivered a swift punch to his stomach before digging into his pockets. Kallux growled and began closing the gap between them.

"Stop!" The turian demanded.

"I'm in no mood to take orders from you," Kallux snarled.

The turian's eyes widened as he realized the danger that had befallen him. He held the gun steady and began firing into Kallux's chestplate, but it was far too late. The krogan had already broken into a charge. In barely over a second he had reached the belligerent and headbutted him square in the face. The turian flipped over backward from the impact while his gun flew off and hit the wall nearby. His accomplice looked over his shoulder and cursed in shock. The two turians scrambled to their feet, one cradling his broken and bleeding face, and ran. Kallux panted angrily and looked down at his chest. The shots had not punctured his shields.

"Please… please don't hurt me…" The batarian mumbled weakly.

Kallux shifted his eyes back to the batarian. He had been beaten badly. The krogan lowered his shoulders from their locked and aggressive position.

"I won't," the krogan replied. "Get up. They're gone."

The batarian looked down the alley where the turians had escaped and pushed himself up. Kallux stepped back and crossed his arms. The batarian brushed himself off and wiped some blood from his chin before turning to face the krogan.

"Thank you," he mumbled. "It's a bad neighborhood, I should've known."

Kallux simply stared him down for a moment before nodding toward the gun on the ground a few meters away.

"This is Omega. There's only bad neighborhoods and worse neighborhoods. You need to watch out for yourself around here."

The batarian looked to the gun and shook his head. "No, no, I'm not going to…" He turned back to Kallux. "I should go."

"Why do I even bother?" Kallux sighed as the batarian darted past him. "This is just going to happen again!"

The batarian disappeared around the corner. Kallux turned and looked back down to the ground in front of him. Debris had been scattered around from the fight, and a few spatters of blood now accented the dull, dirty metal beneath his feet. The krogan stared for a minute before finally taking a deep breath and turning to make his way back to the street.

"Day in, day out," he muttered to himself.


	39. Chapter 39

**The Red Moon Collection - 4 - Fragments and Ire**

**Chapter 39**

_**Omega** _

Kay took the final step of the staircase down into the dining area of a small bistro. She sighed in relief as she saw Shansa and Kallux waving her over from one of the corner booths. Kay slid into the seat they had saved for her and held up her hands apologetically.

"I am so sorry," she said immediately. "Totally lost track of time."

Shansa shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

"No, no, I'm sorry," Kay said again. "It was a stupid thing of me to do."

Kallux chuckled. "You're fine, Kay."

"They haven't even taken our order yet. Which is good, because we need to talk." Shansa looked between the two of them. "Thanks for meeting me here."

"You bet," Kallux replied.

Kay nodded once. "Anything for you, sis."

Shansa smiled. "Good. Because we need to figure out our plans."

"Yeah. We do." Kallux leaned back in his chair. "I've been putting this off for a while now."

"It's been a nice few weeks, but we can't sit around forever," Shansa agreed.

Kay bit her lip and remained silent.

"Will and Eleena have already talked to you two, right?" Shansa asked.

Kallux nodded. "Yeah. Told me a few days ago."

"Can't blame Will for wanting to stay out of the fray for a while," Kay commented. "But Omega? Really?"

"I doubt they'll stay here long," Shansa said. "But either way, I think we can say for certain that they're not coming with us unless we decide to settle down and become farmer or something."

Kallux let out a sigh. "Probably for the best. At least for Hume."

"And T'Lees is obviously not going to be sticking around," Shansa continued.

"She's already packing up her things," Kay said with a hint of reluctance.

"Fynnis said he doesn't have any commitments, so I think it's safe to assume he's going to stick with us," Shansa concluded. "In fact, he seemed kind of excited about the prospect."

"Us?" Kallux asked with a smirk.

Shansa blushed softly. "I didn't mean to presume… I just thought you would want to-"

"Relax," Kallux interrupted. "I've been thinking about this the past few weeks as well. There's nothing for me here on Omega. Not right now, at least." He nodded to Shansa. "I'm open to hearing your plans."

She took a deep breath.

"Well, the bounty business was working really well for me and Eleena. I think, short term at least, we could do quite well there," Shansa proposed. "What do you think?"

Kallux nodded in contemplation. "That was my guess on what you wanted. A safe plan, but a good one for now." The krogan grinned. "You can count me in, Shansa."

She gave him a broad smile. "Awesome!"

Kallux reached over and gave her a pat on the arm. Shansa bounced happily and turned her attention back to Kay.

"I think that gives us a pretty good team!" She said excitedly. "What do you think, Kay?"

Kay hesitated for a moment. "Actually, I…"

Shansa tilted her head as her sister trailed off.

"Kay?"

She turned her eyes up to Shansa. "I'm not going to be joining you on this, Shan."

"What?" Shansa raised her brows as her lips dropped into a frown.

"I'm… I'm actually going to be leaving with T'Lees tomorrow," Kay said with a small chuckle as though she had surprised herself. "I'm going to head up her security team."

"The head of security?" Kallux reiterated.

Kay nodded. "The guy she had left after that shit on Invictus. It's a small team, only about ten people, but she thinks I'd do a good job." She bit her lip. "And I'm not gonna be tied to the job, or anything. I can leave if it's not a good fit."

"If the  _job_  isn't a good fit," Shansa clarified with a small grin.

"Yeah! The job," Kay quickly replied.

"Well, congratulations," Kallux said. "You sound excited."

"I am!" Kay laughed nervously. "I haven't made a big jump like this in a few years."

Shansa's expression slowly lifted into a warm smile. "That sounds great, Kay. I'm really happy for you."

Kay locked eyes with her sister. "This doesn't mean you get out of spending time with me," she reminded her. "After nine years and no calls, I want to be sick of seeing you by this time next year."

Shansa laughed and shook her head. "If you'll tell me where to find you, of course! And I expect you to visit  _me_ as well."

"You know it," Kay winked.

Shansa leaned back. "That does kind of throw a wrench into our plans though," she said. "I mean, without the  _Trueshot_ we don't really have a means to be on top of bounties as fast as I was hoping."

"Who needs the  _Trueshot_?" Kallux asked.

Shansa shot him a look. "Huh?"

"I've still got the  _Aberrant_ docked and ready to launch," Kallux reminded her. "Frankly, I didn't know what I was going to do with her."

"You'd let us use your ship?" Shansa asked.

Kallux chuckled. "What else am I going to do with it? Just keep in mind that you'd have to learn yet another ship's flight controls."

"Considering how fast she took to the  _Trueshot_ , I doubt that'll be a problem," Kay proudly reminded him.

Shansa beamed. "Are you kidding? That sounds fun!"

"Then we've got our ship," Kallux declared.

"Aye, captain," Shansa teased.

"Heh, we'll talk about a command structure later," the krogan mused. "Though that reminds me, we'll need an engineer, Possibly another deckhand depending on how much firepower you want to bring on these bounty retrievals."

Shansa nodded. "I can start looking for someone."

"And I'll circulate the offer around the RMC," Kallux added. "Wouldn't be surprised if that turned up someone capable of handling the weird architecture on _Aberrant._ "

Shansa looked back to Kay. "So, you're sure about this?"

Kay looked to the side and let a half-smile lift her lips. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"I guess I should get in touch with Fynnis, let him know what we've decided on," Shansa thought aloud.

Kay looked around. "Yeah. You do that while I find the fucking waiter."

* * *

Will grunted as he leaned down and dropped the heavy metal crate to the floor of the docking bay. Kay looked up and nodded.

"Thanks," she said while wiping her hands on the torso of her shirt.

"You bet," he answered with a smile. "You excited?"

"Hell yeah," Kay replied as she turned and counted the crates around her. "It's been a long time since I've made a big change. Looking forward to it."

Will stretched and let out a long sigh. "Man, my arm is killing me."

"Still?"

"Yeah, up near the joint," he elaborated. "Doctor said it might linger for a bit."

Kay shrugged. "I'm sure it'll get better."

Will brushed off the thought. "I'm not worried."

He looked out over the crowd from their corner of the room. Around three dozen people were preparing their luggage to board the transport ship. Kay and T'Lees were actually not leaving for another few hours, but they'd been asked to show up early to ensure all their cargo could be loaded in time.

"We've got one more crate to pick up from the market," Kay said. "Come on."

As she led them out onto the street Will hurried up to her side and looked up and down the bustling street. All around them dozens of people flowed against or with them.

"So why are you taking public transport?" Will asked. "Is the  _Trueshot_ still being repaired?"

"It is," Kay answered. "But that's not the reason."

"No?" Will cocked a brow.

Kay slowed to a stop and pulled them toward the wall and out of foot traffic. "No. In fact, it's the reason I asked you to help me with this junk."

Will crossed his arms. "Go on."

"I know you well enough to know that you don't like to sit around," Kay began. "You may be in a funk right now, but it's not going to last forever."

"I'm not in a funk," Will quickly argued.

"I'm not here to convince you," Kay said with a smirk. "Now shut up so I can talk."

Will sighed and nodded for her to continue.

"I don't want you or Eleena to get locked down here without anywhere to go," Kay said. "Which is why I want you to take over as captain of the  _Trueshot._ "

Will laughed. "Kay, I'm not taking your ship."

"I'm not telling you to take it," Kay corrected. "I'm saying that you should use the ship and do what you and Eleena want with it. She's got plenty of room if you want to haul cargo or personnel."

Will looked to the side as he contemplated the offer. He had been worried about both him and Eleena getting restless on Omega. If he and Eleena did simple transport jobs like he and Shansa used to do, they would theoretically be in no more danger than if they were to stay put on Omega. Less so, in fact, given the crime rate on the station.

"You'd really just let us use your ship?" Will asked as he turned his eyes back to Kay.

She grinned. "For a very modest lease, of course."

Will nodded softly. "Alright. I'll talk to Eleena and see what she thinks."

"You do that," Kay replied. "Now come on, we've still got that last box to pick up."

* * *

Eleena was downright elated when Will told her of Kay's offer. Immediately upon seeing her so excited by the opportunity, Will got in touch with Kay and accepted. Afterward, they headed down to the spaceport where Will and Kay had been just a few hours earlier. Seeing Kay and T'Lees off had been easier than Will was anticipating. They both promised time and time again they would not be falling off the face of the galaxy, and Shansa teasingly threatened them to keep their promise just as many times. After a number of goodbyes, they boarded the ship and were off. Will smiled and watched Shansa, rather than the ship itself, as the transport disembarked and disappeared into the Omega traffic.

"Still hard to wrap my head around it," Shansa said quietly.

Will tilted his head. "What's that?"

"All of it," Shansa replied. "I mean, having you again is weird enough, but Kay?" She shook her head. "It's just  _weird._  In a good way, of course."

"If it makes you feel any better, neither of us will be close by for a while," Will jested.

She looked over and frowned. "Now you're just making me sad."

He stepped over and wrapped an arm around her waist. "Sorry, sorry."

Shansa leaned her head on his shoulder. "You're going to call though, right?"

"Every time damn time we've got a connection," Will replied. "You can count on it."

"Good!" She said firmly.

Shansa shifted on her feet.

"I'm a little scared, Will."

He chuckled. "What? Why?"

She shook her head. "Not having you or Kay or Eleena around. It's going to be… different."

"Different doesn't mean bad," Will reminded her. "And you sure as hell don't  _need_ me, Kay or Eleena."

"Oh, please," Shansa smirked. "I'll manage just fine, thank you. I don't need a pep-talk. I'm just going to miss you is all."

"I'm always a comm buoy away," Will smiled.

Shansa stepped away and took a deep breath. "I know you've got Eleena, but I'll always be here for you too, Will. If you ever need me I'll be there."

He nodded. "I didn't spend a year and a half trying to break out of those mines just to forget about you, Shansa. Don't worry. And... the same goes for me. You just say the word and I'm there."

Eleena stepped up behind them and cleared her throat. "I heard my name?"

"Just talking about how screwed you're gonna be without me at the helm of the  _Trueshot_ ," Shansa teased with a wicked grin.

Eleena laughed. "No arguments from me. But I think between me and Will we can manage to get her moving."

"I can give you a quick walkthrough whenever you'd like," Shansa happily offered.

"Accepted!" Will declared. "How does right now sound? Because I just got the message from the dry-dock that they've finished the repairs."

She laughed and shook her head. "I'd be glad to. It'll keep my mind off of Kay and worrying about her going crazy after a few weeks of stationary life."

Together they turned and walked through the thinning crowd to the door. They came to a stop on the street where Fynnis and Kallux were leaning against the wall and talking to one another. The group circled up on the walkway and shared a few smiles.

"I got the files from Kay," Fynnis said to Shansa. "She sent them at the last damn possible minute."

Shansa shook her head with a smirk. "Not surprising."

The turian looked down at his omnitool. "Should be plenty to keep us occupied in here. A few bounty leads, some Eclipse weapon caches that are probably under-guarded. A lot of stuff we couldn't handle when it was just me and her."

"Let's look over it when we've got everything loaded onto the  _Aberrant_ ," Shansa decided. "Right now, however, I'm going to go give Will and Eleena a lesson on piloting 101."

"Hey, I'm well past the intro-level courses," Eleena argued. "This is for Will's sake."

* * *

"They still on board?" Kallux asked.

Will turned his eyes from the docking bay's viewport back to the krogan that stood behind him.

"That's right," he replied. "Doing the last systems checks. And making sure they didn't leave any belongs laying around."

Kallux stepped up beside him and crossed his arms. "She's a damn fine ship. Glad Kay was nice enough to lend her to you."

"Me too," Will agreed. "And we've already got some cargo jobs scheduled for next week."

"Going to take a few days to settle in?" Kallux asked.

"Yeah. Gotta get the feel of it if Eleena and I are going to be flying," Will reasoned.

Kallux reached over and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I'm happy for you, Hume. You deserve this."

Will almost argued against the assertion, but decided against it.

"Thanks, Kallux." He looked over to the krogan. "You looking forward to working with Shan and Fynnis?"

He nodded. "I am."

Will smirked. "To be honest, I didn't think you'd be going with them."

"I wasn't sure I would be either," Kallux admitted.

Will waited for him to continue, but the krogan simply stared out the viewport to the  _Trueshot_.

"Hey, I know I've said some things the past few weeks," Will finally said. "But thanks for everything you did. Against the Blue Suns, Janson… not many people would do that kind of thing."

"I do what I can for my friends," Kallux replied. "And I wish the RMC had been able to help you two years ago. I really do."

Will nodded. "Me too."

"I'm also glad you're willing to talk to me again," Kallux chuckled.

"I was being a little stupid before," Will muttered. "I know you did what you had to. It just stings when that kind of thing comes from someone you really care about."

The krogan glanced over with one eye and smiled softly.

Will stepped away from the window and extended a hand. Kallux turned and took it to shake firmly.

"Take care of Fynnis for me," Will said.

Kallux laughed. "Not Shansa?"

"She can handle herself just fine," he said with a smirk.

"That she can," the krogan agreed while pulling his hand back.

The airlock to the ship pinged and slid open as Shansa, Eleena and Fynnis came bounding out with a few boxes in their hands. As they approached Will and Kallux, Eleena handed the small box in her hands to Fynnis.

"I think we're good to go!" The asari declared.

"Good. Things were getting a little too friendly between me and this krogan," Will joked.

He turned to face Fynnis and offered his hand. The turian shifted the boxes into one arm and extended his other.

"It was great working with you," Will said. "And thanks again for saving me from a lifetime of imprisonment."

"Oh, that? Yeah, no big deal," the turian jested. "I mean, we were passing by. It only made sense to drop in."

Will chuckled and pulled his hand back and looked over to see Kallux and Shansa giving Eleena their goodbyes. The latter two embraced in a tight hug before parting.

"Seriously, take care of him!" Shansa ordered. "He's always a wreck without me."

Eleena gave Will a sly grin. "I'll keep him in line."

Shansa smiled sadly and turned to face Will as Fynnis stepped over to say goodbye to Eleena. Will looked down to Shansa and raised his brows.

"So who goes first?" He asked.

"Me," Shansa said assertively. "Please take care of yourself, Will."

Will stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her, which she gladly reciprocated. "That won't be a problem," he laughed. "For me at least. You're the one going out into the yonder with guns blazing."

"I learned from watching you," she teased.

He closed his eyes and held the embrace. "I love you, Shansa."

"I love you too, Will. And I expect you to answer every one of my calls," Shansa demanded.

"Like I wasn't going to already," Will muttered.

She slowly pulled back and leaned up to kiss his cheek. "Have fun puttering around the galaxy delivering packages, okay?"

"And you have fun kicking asses with those two," Will said.

Shansa shifted on her feet and raised her eyes hopefully. "And if you ever want to do something exciting again…"

"You'll be the first to know," Will assured her.

She took a deep breath and nodded. Will smiled and glanced over to see Eleena walking toward the airlock.

"Ready to get the hell outta here?" She called.

"Yeah. I'm ready." Will looked back to Shansa, Fynnis and Kallux. "Thanks for seeing us off."

Kallux crossed his arms. "Wouldn't miss it."

"Stay safe," Shansa urged.

Will joined Eleena at the door. She took his hand and waved back to their friends with the other. Will looked over his shoulder one last time to meet Shansa's eyes. She wore a bittersweet smile and gave him a tiny wave as the airlock door finally shut behind them. Ten minutes later they were in the cockpit finishing the pre-flight checklist. Will took a deep breath and slid his fingers across the control console in front of him. Eleena sat in the copilot's seat, tapping away at a dozen panels spread out around her.

"All systems are running smooth," she informed him. "Though I do need to tear into that number two starboard thruster. Whoever 'fixed' it did a shitty job with the fuel governor." Eleena glanced over and grinned. "I've got things behaving well enough from this end, though. We should be fine."

He pulled his eyes from the flight controls and turned them to her. "Thanks, El."

"Ready?"

Will took a deep breath. "Yes."

Eleena tapped a button on the communications console. "Omega control, this is  _ISV Trueshot_  requesting permission to depart and a flightpath."

A few seconds later the turian flight control officer responded.

" _Request acknowledged,_ Trueshot.  _You are clear to depart. Utilize channel N-6 on your departure."_

"Channel N-6, understood," Eleena replied. "Thank you, Omega control.  _Trueshot,_  out." The asari looked over to Will and smiled. "You've got this, Will. Just do it like Shansa showed you."

"She's showed me a dozen times over the years," he recalled. "Alright. I can do this."

He reached forward and pressed his finger to the control console, disabling the docking fields. With another few gentle taps the port-side maneuvering thrusters ignited in a tiny burst, giving the ship just enough power to push away from the docking armature. Once they were a safe distance from the berth, Will deftly rotated the ship and pushed the thrusters into sub-FTL idle strength. They were close to the station exit, thankfully, and most traffic was smaller than they were. Still, he had to course-correct a few times to avoid some rather aggressive commuters. However, after a few minutes of easy flying, they passed through the station's mass effect shields and into open space. Will adjusted their flightpath and pushed their thrusters to fifty percent as the FTL drive began to charge.

"Should be ready to jump in thirty seconds," Eleena informed him. "You doing okay?"

Will nodded quickly. "Managing. Not as gracefully as Shan, but I'm managing."

"You'll be a model pilot in no time," she teased.

"Hey, Eleena."

The asari gave him a sideways glance. "Hm?"

"Thank you for being here," Will said before a short pause. "I love you."

"I love ya too, Will. And there's no place I'd rather be," she replied with a warm smile. "FTL drive's ready in five. Want me to prime it for the jump?"

With their flightpath locked onto the nearest relay in the system, Will set his eyes on the viewport ahead of him and stared out into the infinite beyond. This is it, he told himself.

"I'm ready when you are," he answered.

He looked over and watched as she made some last-minute adjustments. Eleena leaned back in her chair as she finished and gave him a confident nod.

"It's all yours, captain."

For the first time since the  _Hyperion_  had been destroyed, since he and his friends had been separated, since he had been enslaved in those mines, Will didn't feel frightened by title. He stretched out his arms and legs, uninhibited by his combat hardsuit, and took a quick glance at the list of scheduled shipping jobs they had lined up.

He looked forward and spoke with a hint of confidence in his voice that he had not had in years. "Jumping in three, two, one..."

"Here we go."


End file.
